Botanical name |
Lachenalia bulbifera |
Other names |
Lachenalia pendula; Cape cowslip; rooinaeltjie (Afrikaans) |
Family |
Hyacinthaceae |
Dimensions |
Small, deciduous perennial bulbous plant, with flower may reach 30 cm |
Description of stem |
Leaves and flower stem emanate from the bulb |
Description of leaves |
On or two green, broadly lanceolate, folding around the flower stem at the base, semi-erect, sometimes with purple spots on the upper surface |
Description of flowers |
About five to fifteen crimson to coral red tubular flowers hang from the single, sturdy flower stem, about 3 cm long when fully developed, the inner tepal tips tinged with green and purple markings; occur in autumn or winter |
Desciption of seed/fruit |
Oblong papery capsules contain round black seeds |
Description of roots |
Whitish, spreading from the bottom of the bulb; the bulb is round or flattened, fleshy, covered in a membranous tunic |
Variation |
Flower colour variations include pink, orange and occasionally yellow varieties |
Propagation and cultivation |
Sandy or loam, kept moist, well-drained; semi-shade, needs some direct sunlight; best grown in containers outside of the natural habitat of the Western Cape winter rainfall area; bulblets multiply naturally from healthy plants; can be grown from seed; leaf cuttings may yield bulbs if kept moist in suitable conditions |
Tolerances |
|
Uses |
Garden or (unheated) greenhouse plant |
Ecological rarity |
|
Pests and diseases |
Mealie bug and rust fungus |
Other |
Pollinated by sunbirds |
Location |
High winter rainfall coastal grass and scrub areas, on grassy dunes and granite outcrops |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Western Cape |
Country |
South Africa |