Bulbs

Ammocharis coranica

Botanical Name	Ammocharis coranica
Other names	Karoo lily; Koranna lily; ground lily; knopieskop (Afrikaans); gifbol (Afrikaans); Ammocharis falcata
Family	Amaryllidaceae
Dimensions	Bulbous plant, when in bloom up to 30 cm in height
Description of stem	Bulb can reach 30 cm in diameter; hard papery exterior
Description of leaves	Grey-green, smooth and strap-like, truncated with smooth parallel edges, emanating from the bulb in a characteristic pattern of obliquely stacked leaves, sometimes erect, but often prostrate
Description of flowers	Variable (according to geographic region?) from pale pink to cerise and wine-red; tips of petals start off creamish pink, gradually getting darker with the age of the flower; petals recurving gradually, perianth tube about 1,5 cm, anthers horseshoe shaped;
Description of seed/fruit	Fleshy seed capsule
Description of roots	Large, fleshy roots
Variation	Flower colour variation (should be studied for clarification)
Propagation and cultivation	Seed germinates easily; bulbs can be transplanted, takes a year or two to re-establish the roots upon transplantation
Tolerances	Grows in clay or sandy soil in full sun; drought resistant, but also copes in higher rainfall areas, good drainage needed; frost resistant
Uses	Popular garden plant; grazed by game and cattle
Ecological rarity	Fairly common
Pests and diseases
Other
Location	Karoo areas, summer rainfall grassland
Distribution (SA provinces)	Eastern Cape; Western Cape; Kwazulu-Natal; Mpumalanga
Country	South Africa; Swaziland; Zimbabwe

Ammocharis coranica: Photographed by Erhan Uludag

Boophone disticha

Botanical name	Boophone disticha
Other names	Gifbol (Afrikaans), Leshoma (Tswana), Boophane disticha
Family	Amaryllidaceae, bulbous plant
Dimensions
Description of stem	Leaves emanate from the bulb which has a flaky, papery cover
Description of leaves	Blue-green straight and long leaves arranged in a fan-shape that can measure 60cm across, on top of the bulb which usually sits halfway above ground level
Description of flowers	Rounded pink inflorescence over 15cm wide, consisting of numerous small flowers above a sturdy single flowering stalk; flowers in spring before leaves appear; dry flowerheads are noticeable rolling away in the wind a few months later
Description of seed/fruit
Description of roots
Variation

Propagation and cultivation
Tolerances
Uses	Bulb scales are used for dressing wounds; decoctions used for various ailments; also been used as a hallucinogen and poison
Ecological rarity
Pests and diseases
Other
Location	Hills and grassland
Distribution	Most parts of inland South Africa, barring the north-western regions
Country	South Africa, Zimbabwe

Boophane disticha Photographed by Jack Latti

Boophane disticha flower Photographed by Annette Raaff

Boophane disticha, the pink form; Photographed by Erhan Uludag

Clivia miniata

Botanical name	Clivia miniata
Other names	Bush lily; boslelie (Afrikaans)
Family	Amaryllidaceae
Dimensions	A perennial plant growing from bulbous root core or stem that acts as a leaf base to about 60 cm, clump forming
Description of stem	Leaves emanate from bulb
Description of leaves	Strap shaped dark green leaves of up to 50cm emanating from a fleshy underground stem
Description of flowers	Lavish umbels of orange, salmon or peach coloured trumpet, lily-type flowers appearing in spring; the inner ring of three petals usually bigger than the outer three; a lighter, yellow colour is found in inner base of the trumpet
Description of seed/fruit	A red berry
Description of roots	Thick and robust roots emanate from the base of the plant
Variation
Propagation and cultivation	Plant in well-drained, slightly acid soil, ph between 5.5 and 6.5; partly to fully shaded areas; grown from seed or offsets that are produced spontaneously by mature plants, also by dividing the base; will flower when bulbs are about three years old; needs more watering and slow-release fertiliser in spring and summer; used as houseplants in colder areas although some find them to perform well in cold years
Tolerances	Protect from frost and excessive full sunlight
Uses	Popular garden subject, widely cultivated, notably also in the Far East; wide-spread medicinal use is made of the plant
Ecological rarity	Not threatened
Pests and diseases
Other	Contains lycorine, a poison; exported from South Africa since mid-19th century; other Clivia species, such as nobilis, gardenii and caulescens also come from South Africa
Location	Shady cool and moist forest areas, sub-tropical coastal forests, growing in humus rich leaf mould
Distribution (SA provinces)	Kwazulu-Natal; Eastern Cape; Mpumalanga
Country	South Africa; Swaziland

{joomplu:606}

{joomplu:607}

Dierama medium

Botanical Name	Dierama medium
Other names	Hairbells, Grasklokkies (Afrikaans)
	Iridaceae; perennial;
Dimensions	Leaves can be over 1m long
Description of Stem	Leaves emerge from a large, flattish brown corm growing a few cm below the ground surface and covered in protective layers of hairy tissue
Description of Leaves	Up to 5 or 6 light-green long narrow leaves emerge from each corm
Description of flowers	Pink to mauve, funnel-like bells of around 2cm that droop delicately from the arched stem flower for a couple of days during spring and summer
Description of seed/fruit
Description of roots
Variation

Propagation and Cultivation
Uses	Popular garden plant
Ecological rarity	Not easy to find, but not believed to be threatened at present
Pests and Diseases
Other
Location	Rocky grassland and close to water
Distribution	Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, maybe Eastern Cape
Country	South Africa

Eucomis autumnalis

Botanical name	Eucomis autumnalis
Other names	Pineapple flower; Eucomis undulata; Pynappelblom (Afrikaans)
Family	Liliaceae OR Hyacinthaceae; bulbous plant; perennial
Dimensions
Description of stem
Description of leaves	Long, broad leaves with pointed ends and undulating edges
Description of flowers	Characteristic leafy coma crowning the inflorescence below which a cylindric spread of small lily-shaped yellow-green to whitish flowers, densely packed around a thick stalk; flowering from December to March
Description of seed/fruit
Description of roots	A brown, oval shaped bulb of up to 12 cm in diameter
Variation

Propagation and cultivation
Tolerances
Uses	Garden plant; decoctions of the bulb have been used for a variety of ailments
Ecological rarity
Pests and diseases
Other
Location	Open grassland, in hilly areas among rocks and trees
Distribution (SA provinces)	Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Free State, Eastern Cape
Country	South Africa

Eucomis autumnalis subsp. clavata, Verlorenvallei; Photographed by Judd Kirkel

Eucomis autumnalis; Photographed by Jack Latti