Boöphane

Boöphane

The name is spelled several ways, Boöphane, with each "o" pronounced separately is correct. The genus is related to Brunsvigia and both have their flowers in dense umbels. In Boophane, there can be 100 flowers in one of these! The leaves appear later, after flowering, by which stage the flower heads have set seed and dried to become tumbleweeds.

Bulbs can become huge in time and they will need space and a good root run if they are to do well, however the results are worth every effort.

Cultivation should be in a large pot or bedded out, under glass in UK, in a very well-drained, sandy, fertile soil, with the plants rested dry in the summer.

Bulbs of these species are very toxic. Preparations have been used for arrow poison, and the common name of ‘sore-eye flower’ describes what happens if the juice or sap enters the eye. Sap is used as a caustic and styptic by some tribes and as psychoactive (sometimes fatally so) infusions by others.



Available for ordering from Spring and Autumn lists.

Products

Boophane disticha

Boophane disticha

This is the most widespread of the few species in the genus and it is spread across the summer rainfall region of South Africa, Kenya and Uganda.

The flowers are glorious and are borne in great big ‘footballs’ of brick red to pink-red and the highly decorative, narrow, upright leaves appear after the flowers.

This likes a well drained, sandy or gravelly soil with lots of feeding to counteract the sterility of the well-drained medium.

Capable of making large bulbs in time.

Important - avoid skin or eye contact with the sap or juice

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Boophane distichaboodisdiss £48.50

Boophane guttata

Boophane guttata

This species has been transferred to the genus Crossyne, and is now Crossyne guttata.

You will find it in our Crossyne listing.

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