Brunsvigia orientalis in garden conditions

Brunsvigia orientalis flower stems appear from the bare earth in late summer or autumn when there are no leaves yet. This is the phenomenon of hysteranthy, an adaptation allowing all the available resources of the underground bulb to be reserved for, and focussed on performing one function at a time. Something men can also do. The flowerhead develops into one large umbel consisting of fifty or more separate dark pink flowers on long pedicels. The flowers are mainly pollinated by birds, particularly sunbirds.

When the flowers die, fruits form. The dry stalk will eventually break off, the round, ripe, tumble-weed type fruithead, 60 cm in diameter, will roll away if not impeded, on a conspicuous, wind-propelled journey. Seeds are distributed in bumpy instalments along the way, a remarkable dispersal system.

These seeds germinate quickly with first winter rain, which improves their survival chances (iNaturalist; www.plantzafrica.com).