Amaryllids are distinguished from other flowering bulbs by the inferior ovary, i.e. a fruit that develops below the petals and not above. This means that the dried petals remain as a tuft at the tip of the fruit, and not as a skirt at the base. They are most closely related to Agapanthus. South Africa has a rich variety of genera and species, and they account for some of our most beautiful and famous indigenous plants - Clivia, Guernsey lily (Nerine sarniensis), Belladonna lily (Amaryllis belladonna), Scarborough lily (Cyrtanthus elatus) to name but a few. With the exception of Cyrtanthus, all the South African amaryllids produce fleshy seeds that germinate without the need for additional moisture. It also means that their seed cannot be stored in seedbanks for future generations.

Amaryllids persist in some very unexpected and unlikely localities, and this has contributed to our understanding of climate changes in the sub-continent over the last few millenia. Some genera such as Cyrtanthus and Nerine have species complexes that resulted from widespread populations becoming gradually more isolated due to climate changes. These account for a number of similar-looking species, and makes taxonomy and plant identification very difficult. Chloroplast DNA analysis and more extensive field work is slowly adding more insight into the relationships, but it is a race against time, as many populations are in immediate danger of disappearing from bad land management, development and reckless collecting.