Family: Amaryllidaceae

Original habitat: 3 species in South Africa and 7 in tropical Africa over which the literature offers very little information

Flower colour: Pink, sometimes scarlet red with white. The sepals can also be brightly coloured. Although the petals are very small and not that conspicuous, the inflorescence as a whole is quite attractive: the petals combined with the flowers’ numerous stamens and their filaments give the general impression of a shaving brush.

Flowering period: Late in the summer

Plant height: 60 centimetres

Planting depth: Plant the bulbs so that the nose is just above or level with the soil surface. Be careful not to break off the roots while spreading them around the bulb onto the bottom of the planting hole.

Planting distance: 30 centimetres

Type of bulb: The bulbs are large and fleshy with thick, fleshy but easily broken roots.

Light requirements: Although they can tolerate sun, they are often found growing in the shade in their original habitat. Applications: Scadoxus cannot really tolerate much frost and is better grown in the milder climate zones where little if any frost occurs. Plant them in clusters of 3 to 5 bulbs located in a sunny border.

The bulbs should be protected in the event of even the slightest frost. In areas where frost occurs, it would be better to plant them in pots that should be fairly large (diameter of about 25 centimetres).

Various species

• Scadoxus multiflorus ssp katherinae. This subspecies is one of the most favoured of its species and also tolerates shade. This plant grows to a height of 60 centimetres, and the inflorescence can reach a diameter of 25 centimetres. Its colour is a fiery red, and the stems are very prominent. After the flower has bloomed, the leaves begin to develop. The plant dies back during the winter.
• Scadoxus puniceus. The flowers produced by this plant are a bright ora nge-red with golden filaments. The plant grows to a height of about 60 centimetres.
• Scadoxus pole-evansii. Comparable to Scadoxus multiflorus ssp katherinae, but with fewer flowers that are more of a salmon colour.