Description
This is one of the very rarest of all of the Haemanthus species. This is only known from a few places in the southern corner of the Karoo, where the bulbs are said to grow in very gently sloping seasonal washes. The soil is heavy clay containing many embedded chips of grey shale.
Our stock has been raised from one of the largest forms (of a small species) which grows in the extreme south western corner of the very arid Tanqua Karoo near Bizansgat.
The two recurving leaves are channelled a soft greyish blue-green with olive, red or brown margins, they appear after the flowers, in Autumn.
The blooms are white to cream and take on a fawn infused, pinkish tinge with age, a unique shade and colour in the genus. The fruits which (sometimes) follow the flowers are cryptic and resemble animal droppings.
A dwarf plant in all of its parts, from bulbs to flowers – the entire umbel is little more than thumb-sized though ours is the ‘largest’ form. Use a very sharply-drained compost with not a great deal of water.
First offered 2011.