Haemanthus - blood lily

Haemanthus is a Southern African genus of Amaryllidaceae with some 22 known species, endemic to South Africa, Namibia and the kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland. About 15 species occur in the winter rainfall region of Namaqualand and the Western Cape, the remainder being found in the summer rainfall region, with one species Haemanthus albiflos occurring in both regions.

Most of the species have brush-like flowerheads enclosed in four or more membranous to fleshy spathe bracts which usually match the flower colour and, like sepals, protect the flowerheads from damage and desiccation. The flowers produce abundant nectar and pollen and a faint smell unattractive to humans. Fruits are mostly globose and when ripe, range through bright red, to pink, orange and white, and are usually aromatic. Three of the species, H. albiflos , H. deformis and H. pauculifolius are evergreen; these three species have bulbs that are only partly buried, the exposed section often turning bright green. The winter rainfall region's bulbs on the other hand are mostly from arid habitats and are found fairly deep below the surface, usually flowering before producing leaves. The genus produces relatively large bulbs that act as food and water storage organs, and consist of fleshy leafbases or tunics that may be arranged in two obvious ranks - termed a distichous arrangement. The morphology of the bulbs is useful in taxonomy and identification.

Haemanthus have from one to six leaves, ranging from broad, leathery and prostrate to narrow, crisped or succulent and erect, with a variety of surface textures from smooth to extremely hairy or even sticky. A few species such as H. unifoliatus and H. nortieri, usually produce only a single erect, broad leaf. H. coccineus and H. sanguineus were two of the first species in this genus to be described and because of their reddish flowers, gave rise to the generic name, being Greek for 'blood flower'. Haemanthus is found from Namibia through Namaqualand to the Western Cape and then through the Southern Cape to the Eastern Cape as far north as KwaZulu-Natal and the Transvaal.Haemanthus species are extremely variable in their habitat requirements - from coastal dunes to mountain tops, rocky ledges to seasonally-inundated gravel plains and bogs. Some species, such as H. canaliculatus, are to some extent fire-dependent in that they need occasional burning of their fynbos habitat to clear undergrowth in order to flower.


Cultivation
Haemanthus species do best in large, well-drained containers or planted out in a rockery. Depending on species, they should have full sun or partial shade - winter rainfall species preferring full sun, while summer rainfall and evergreen species need partial shade. Most species are extremely tolerant of poor soil, but should not be disturbed if they are to flower. Propagation can be by offsets (adventitious bulblets), leaf cuttings and by germination of seed.


Selected species
Haemanthus albiflos is an evergreen South African bulbous geophyte belonging to the Amaryllidaceae and prized horticulturally for its unusual appearance and extreme tolerance of neglect. H. albiflos is the only Haemanthus species found in both winter and summer rainfall regions, and has a mainly coastal distribution from the southern Cape through the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, showing a preference for cool, shady spots. The upper half of the bulb is usually exposed and bright green. Since it produces a pair of leaves once a year and is evergreen, together with H. deformis and H. pauculifolius, the plant may have up to three pairs of leaves. Leaves may have a covering of short, soft hairs, and occasionally have yellow spots on the upper surface. It reproduces readily by adventitious buds or offsets, which may be removed when the flowering period, from early April to July, is over.

Haemanthus amarylloides is an endemic South African bulbous plant first described in 1804 by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin from specimens sent to the Schönbrunn Palace gardens by the collectors Boos and Scholl. Franz Boos was an Austrian botanist who, with Franz Bredemeyer, made up Emperor Joseph II's gardening team. Boos and his assistant Georg Scholl, were collecting Cape plants for the imperial gardens. These collections were transported to Vienna by Nicolas Thomas Baudin, who had been carefully briefed by Boos on the techniques used for keeping plants and animals alive on long ship voyages.

Haemanthus avasmontanus is a South African bulbous geophyte belonging to the Amaryllidaceae. It is known from the type specimens only, which were collected by Kurt Dinter on 12 February 1923 from a single locality in the Auasberge near Tigerfontein on steep, south-facing, mica schist ledges, south-east of Windhoek in central Namibia. (Snijman, 1984). Despite thorough searches by a number of field botanists, no plants have been found since.

Haemanthus barkerae Snijman is a South African bulbous geophyte belonging to the Amaryllidaceae. H. barkerae is found in the Western Cape from the Bokkeveld Mountains near Nieuwoudtville and the foothills of the Roggeveld Mountains, to the Hantamsberg near Calvinia, and bounded to the north and south by Loeriesfontein and the Tanqua Karoo. Haemanthus barkerae tends to grow in clumps in heavy clay soils in the shelter of rocks or shrubs. It has pale to deep pink flowerheads. The two leaves (occasionally one) last from May to October, are narrowly ligulate to near elliptic, are almost erect and appear after the flowers which bloom between March and April. The abaxial surfaces of the leaves are conspicuously barred with dark green and maroon.

Haemanthus canaliculatus is a South African bulbous geophyte belonging to the Amaryllidaceae. It is found only over a small area in the Western Cape between Betty's Bay and Rooiels, growing at about 30m above sea level with an annual rainfall of 650mm. Its favoured habitat is under dense bush in seasonally inundated shallow depressions, where it usually occurs in clumps. The leaf-bases or tunics of the bulb are thick, fleshy, distichous and loosely separated as in the spread fingers on a hand cf.Haemanthus pubescens. Leaves are from one to four, red-barred at the base, held in a sub-erect position and appear after the flowers. The peduncle is up to 200mm long with 5-7 spathe valves that are bright red to pink in colour. Fruits are about 20mm in diameter and reddish. Seeds are shiny and deep red.

Haemanthus carneus is a South African bulbous geophyte belonging to the Amaryllidaceae. Despite a fairly wide distribution, it has been collected from only a few scattered sites in the Orange Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape near Grahamstown and Somerset East, occurring between 300 m and 1200 m above sea level. The bulbs grow in small clumps in the shelter of trees, bushes and rocks. Their tunics are more or less equal with horizontal leaf-scars. Leaves number two or three, usually flat on the ground, appearing with the flowers or following on soon. Peduncles show quite a variation in length from 100-200 mm long.

Haemanthus coccineus is a South African bulbous geophyte belonging to the Amaryllidaceae. Flowering in autumn, its scarlet spathe valves make it a striking plant and would account for its early appearance in Europe.

Haemanthus crispus is a South African bulbous geophyte belonging to the Amaryllidaceae and occurring in Namaqualand which lies in the winter rainfall region. It is a common species and is found from Steinkopf to the Olifants River, growing from the coastal flats eastwards onto the stony, lower slopes of the first terrace, usually in heavy soils and often in the shade of low succulent shrubs.

Haemanthus dasyphyllus is an endemic South African bulbous geophyte belonging to the Amaryllidaceae, found near Loeriesfontein in Namaqualand.

Haemanthus pubescens is an endemic South African bulbous geophyte belonging to the Amaryllidaceae. Haemanthus pubescens occurs at elevations up to 300 m from Cape Town northwards along the coast to southern Namibia. Formerly it was known only from the south western Cape, but collections from north of the Olifants River into Namibia, led to a revision of its geographic limits. The 4-7 large, fleshy spathe valves are diagnostic of the species. The two leaves are broad, flat on the ground and usually pubescent. Bulbs are deep, with fleshy distichous tunics.

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