Belladonna

The end of summer in Corfu is marked by the first appearance of the belladonna, the naked ladies . A thick reddish stem first appears in the dry summer heat soil , soaked in the first autumn moisture and reaches half a meter in height within a few days to end in pale sweet pink lilies . The species Amaryllis belladonna comes from South Africa while in America they are called “naked ladies” because they appear without being “clothed” with leaves. The long sword-like leaves come later, after the flower has withered, and last all winter. In the Corfu nature they have now become wild (naturalised) and grow and multiply by themselves, without human care.