Amaryllidaceae

Today's blip came by special invitation from its owners, and was photographed on their kitchen windowsill. This is Hippeastrum 'Apple Blossom' (Amaryllis 'Apple Blossom'), a member of the amaryllidaceae family, about which Wikipedia says:

"Hippeastrum" is Greek for "horseman's star" (also known today as "knight's star") and was chosen in 1837 by the Honorable Reverend William Herbert, Dean of Manchester. While no one is entirely sure why he picked this name, it's likely he chose it because of the plant's striking resemblance to the "morning star", a medieval weapon used by horsemen, as William Herbert was both a clergyman and something of an expert on early medieval history. A version of the weapon was also called a "holy water sprinkler," an ecclesiastical object with which the Dean would have been familiar.

The first commercial breeders of Hippeastrum were Dutch growers who imported several species (see list at right) from Mexico and South America and began developing cultivars and hybrids from them in the 18th century; the first of these reached North America early in the 19th century. In 1946 two Dutch growers moved to the Union of South Africa and began cultivation there. Although most Hippeastrums come from the Dutch and South African sources, bulbs are now being developed in the United States, Japan, Israel, India, Brazil and Australia. The double flowers from Japan are particularly beautiful.

I had two attempts at photographing it close-up, one with fill-in flash and one without. This is the one using natural light alone.

Alternative:
Amaryllidaceae #2 (with flash)