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Alstroemeria psittacina
Alstroemeria psittacina, with the common names Peruvian lily, parrot flower, parrot lily, lily of the Incas, and princess lily. It is a non-native perennial in the Liliaceae and is native to Brazil and Argentina. It is cultivated in Louisiana and escaped populations are reported from 14 parishes but is probably in many other areas. I have seen a large population at a park in DeRidder and another at the Southern Heritage Forest Museum south of Forest Hill. A few years ago, I was given a start from the late Dr. George Fisher from his camp which is an old home place in southeastern Vernon Parish. The start has grown and this plant is very obvious during the winter to early Spring and melts into the ground during the heat of the summer. It rarely flowers but when it does, the flowers are a dark red. Now, the main reason for me to like this plant is its most unusual leaf. It is a typical simple leaf with a petiole and blade but the normality stops there. The petiole twists so the top of the blade becomes the bottom and the bottom of the blade becomes the top. Check out the leaves on your plant or the next time you see this plant, stop and check out the leaf carefully. And, yesterday, Francis Rogers sent me a couple pictures of it in flower and I also had a plant in flower.