Description
A rare and very little seen species from the Saddleback range in S. Africa. It was first described as a variety in 1896, but finally, P. Goldblatt made it a species in its own right in 1982, some time after its rediscovery, by Mrs A. Mauve.
This is a robust plant, typically making stems around 30 cm tall and it has good-sized flowers of strong primrose to mid-yellow (though rare white forms are known). The outer floral segments are lightly lined and spotted with orange-gold nectar guides and can reach 6.5 cm long.
In flowering plants the flowering shoots (only) are surrounded by rigid, black fibres, which is a characteristic of mature plants of this species.
Raised from JJA.3.557.800 seed, originally from 2,700m in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa. Very attractive and makes a good garden display. Despite its rarity, it does well in full sun, in humus-enriched soil under garden conditions, flowering reliably in late spring and early summer and making small clumps quite quickly.
