About Alstroemeria
Alstroemeria, commonly known as Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas, are stunning flowers featuring delicate petals adorned with distinctive streaks and spots. These long-lasting blooms are beloved by florists and flower enthusiasts for their exceptional vase life and wide array of vibrant colors.
Native to South America, alstroemeria have become one of the most popular and economical cut flowers worldwide. Each stem typically produces multiple blooms, making them an excellent value, while their striking patterns and colors add visual interest and texture to any arrangement.
Primary Meanings
- Devotion: Represents loyal friendship and unwavering commitment
- Prosperity: Symbolizes wealth, fortune, and success
- Friendship: Conveys strong bonds and mutual support between friends
- Achievement: Represents accomplishment and reaching one's goals
Alstroemeria Colors and Their Meanings
Pink Alstroemeria
Friendship, femininity, and admiration
Red Alstroemeria
Love, passion, and romantic devotion
White Alstroemeria
Purity, innocence, and sympathy
Yellow Alstroemeria
Happiness, energy, and cheerfulness
Orange Alstroemeria
Excitement, enthusiasm, and warmth
Purple Alstroemeria
Royalty, admiration, and enchantment
Popular Alstroemeria Types
Peruvian Lily
Alstroemeria aurea
Princess Lilies
Compact varieties
InTicancha Series
Large blooms
Hybrid Alstroemeria
Various colors
Care Instructions
Water
Use clean water and change every 3-4 days
Trim Stems
Cut stems at 45-degree angle, pulling rather than cutting works best
Temperature
Keep at room temperature away from direct heat
Remove Leaves
Remove leaves that will be below waterline
Remove Spent Blooms
Pinch off wilted flowers to encourage new blooms
Best Occasions for Alstroemeria
- Friendship celebrations: Friendship celebrations
- Get well soon wishes: Get well soon wishes
- Congratulations and achievements: Congratulations and achievements
- Birthday bouquets: Birthday bouquets
- Thank you gifts: Thank you gifts
Interesting Alstroemeria Facts
- Named after Swedish botanist Baron Claus von Alströmer, student of Carl Linnaeus
- The six petals of alstroemeria represent understanding, humor, patience, empathy, commitment, and respect
- Leaves grow upside-down, twisting from the base creating a resupinate formation
- Can last up to two weeks in a vase, longer than most cut flowers
- Aztec priests used alstroemeria in religious ceremonies
- The flower is toxic to cats but safe for humans
How to Buy Good Alstroemeria
Buy stems where most of the cluster is still in bud with just one or two flowers open and color showing in the rest. Because each stem carries a whole cluster, one bought in bud gives you a fortnight of flowers. The leaves are the weak point, they yellow long before the flowers fade, so check they are green and firm rather than pale.
Season, Availability and What Drives the Price
Available every week of the year, grown at scale in Colombia and the Netherlands, and one of the best-value flowers in the shop on cost per day. There is no meaningful seasonal price spike, which makes alstroemeria a reliable backbone for a budget arrangement at any time of year, including the weeks around Valentine's Day when everything else lifts.
What to Use Instead
Alstroemeria is more often the substitute than the substituted, it stands in for lilies at a fraction of the cost, though at a much smaller scale. If you need the same long-lasting, multi-headed filler in a different shape, spray carnations or spray chrysanthemums do the same job.
Safety Around Pets and Skin
Mildly toxic to cats and dogs, causing stomach upset if eaten. More relevant for anyone handling them in quantity: the sap contains tulipalin and causes a contact dermatitis well known to florists as alstroemeria rash. Wear gloves if you are stripping a lot of stems.
Florist Tips for Alstroemeria
Strip the lower leaves hard
The foliage rots and yellows well before the flowers are finished, and it is usually what makes a vase look tired. Take most of it off at the start.
Expect two to three weeks
Alstroemeria routinely outlasts everything it is arranged with. If yours is fading inside a week, the water is the problem.
It is not a lily
Despite the name Peruvian lily, it belongs to a different family entirely, which is why it does not carry the lily risk to cats.
Common Questions About Alstroemeria
How long does alstroemeria last?
Fourteen to twenty-one days, which is longer than almost anything else at the same price. It is the best value in the shop measured on cost per day.
Is alstroemeria poisonous to cats like lilies are?
No. Despite being sold as Peruvian lily it is not a true lily and does not cause the kidney failure that Lilium does. It may cause mild stomach upset if eaten.
Why do the leaves go yellow before the flowers die?
That is normal for this flower, the foliage simply has a shorter life than the blooms. Strip most of it off when you first arrange the stems.