Agapanthus campanulatus flowering blue in grass

The Drakensberg is home to both subspecies of Agapanthus campanulatus, viz. subsp. campanulatus and subsp. patens. These are both robust growers, also found elsewhere in KwaZulu-Natal and in Lesotho. Only the distribution of subsp. patens extends to Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

Summer grass flowers and fruit may partly obscure the blue Agapanthus flowers from the camera when of similar height. Such screening is totally insufficient for fooling hungry insects on the lookout for their next meal. The flower appearance requires no concealment.

These slopes receive their rain in summer, retaining moisture under the dense grass cover. Thick rhizomes and fleshy Agapanthus roots serve the plants well for flourishing in summer. The rhizomes also do much in winter for surviving grass fires, as well as the opposite extreme: bitter winter cold, sometimes with snow. And don't forget winter drought, part of normal life in the Drakensberg (Manning, 2009; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).