Alstroemeria psittacina

Alstroemeria psittacina, with the common names Peruvian lily, parrot flower, parrot lily, lily of the Incas, princess lily and New Zealand Christmas bell, is a species of flowering plant in the family Alstroemeriaceae. It is found in cerrado and pantanal vegetation in Brazil and Argentina.

Description
Alstroemeria psittacina is a perennial herb with underground tubers. Flowers grow in umbels of 3-8 flowers. They can be red to reddish-purple, sometimes with brownish spots.

Distribution
It is native to Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay but widely cultivated as an ornamental and escaped into the wild in Australia (New South Wales and Norfolk Island), New Zealand, Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the southeastern United States (eastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida).

Cultivation
Alstroemeria psittacina is cultivated as an ornamental plant by plant nurseries, for use in temperate gardens, such as in California.

It is a popular ornamental plant in New Zealand, where it usually blooms at Christmastime and is referred to as New Zealand Christmas bell. In addition, this plant is cited as an invasive plant, and it is a natural host range of the Alstroemeria mosaic potyvirus.