Description
The high altitude form from the Drakensberg Mountains, where the bulbs are reported to be regularly (lightly) frosted and (heavily) covered in ice.
It has grown here, for many years, both inside and outside our glasshouses, unfazed in the filthiest of winters and it flowers regularly. The foliage appears late, remains green all summer and persists at flowering time but vanishes over the winter when it is totally leaf-dormant.
This is a fine, deeply-coloured, large-flowered form. Very tall flower spikes (95cm) appear in autumn with numerous, highly crinkled flowers. Secondary flowers develop in spring on occasion.
Supposedly smaller-flowered than the typical plant, but in fact it is substantially larger here and it makes large bulbs and big growths. Very hardy.
Propagated from a stock gifted to us by the late Harry Hay, many years ago this is a magnificent plant. It is hard to credit that it is ‘just’ a form of bowdenii given its very large size and characteristics. Only available periodically when we lift and divide our clumps.
