RARE AND ORNAMENTAL AMARYLLIDS OF SOUTH AFIRCA’S NORTH WEST AND LIMPOPO PROVINCES: THEIR NATURAL OCCURRENCE AND CULTIVATION.
South Africa’s North West and Limpopo Provinces lie in the summer rainfall region of South Africa. Rain falls between October and early April and the Amaryllids in the region have adapted to flower either in early summer, mostly November, or in late summer and early autumn, February and March.
The Limpopo River Basin is particularly rich in Amaryllids. One of the most magnificent is Crinum foetidum. The plants grow in arid savannah often in deep pinkish sand. The large leaves are broad and over a metre in length in many instances. The huge umbels of strongly fragrant flowers are only borne in years of good rainfall, usually at the end of November or in early December. This Crinum is usually sparse but occasionally occurs in groups of twenty or more plants.
C. foetidum seeds are most ornamental and have a characteristic rugose greenish black surface. The seed heads ripening on the plants have very characteristic “long beaks”. Quite often good rains in early summer are followed by hot dry weather. Under these conditions the seed does not germinate. It may last well until the second summer, half buried in sand, when it will germinate if there is enough rain. During wet years the seeds germinate immediately. They are often washed some distance from the parent plants in heavy thunderstorms.
Crinum foetidum is one of the most beautiful of all Crinum species. The huge umbels of flowers are strongly fragrant.
Crinum foetidum has very charecteristic and ornamental seeds which usually form in December in habitat, in the arid Limpopo River basin.
3. Crinum foetidum has characteristically rugose seeds. This is rare amongst South African Crinum species.
Crinum minimum is a very unusual and beautiful plant. It is found either growing in deep red sand around Baobab trees north of the Soutpansberg or else in pebbly soil, often in Combretum veld. The thin grass-like leaves easily pass unnoticed. However, their truncated leaf tips clearly indicate that they belong to the Genus Crinum. The enormous acaulescent flower is extremely beautiful and strongly fragrant particularly at dusk and in the early evening. It usually lasts for one or two days but flowers are only produced during years of good rainfall. This ensures that the very limited amount of seed that this species produces is likely to germinate in the harsh sun-baked habitat occupied by the plants. Crinum minimum is usually rare and sparse in habitat occurring in small groups.
Crinum minimum grows in pebbly stony soil, often in arid places near Baobab trees. It flowers with the onset of good rains in November.
C. minimum is one of the few species that responds to very occasional good winter rainfall. It produces leaves in as little as 48 hours. These soon shrivel as the country dries out again.
Crinum delagoense is a widespread species. It has particularly beautiful flowers borne in dense umbels. It flowers even during droughts probably as the October flowering period is too early to be initiated by summer rainfall which normally begins in November. Seeds are produced most years but in droughts quite a lot fails to germinate. The seed may last until the second summer and in this respect is like C. foetidum seed.
The seeds of Crinum delagoense are most ornamental resembling red apples. This species also has particularly beautiful flowers.
C. delagoense is quite often rather sparse, but can be particularly striking when in flower in large groups such as a colony of about 100 plants in the Pontdrift area.
One of the most elusive Amaryllids and one that very few people have seen is Pancratium tenuifolium. The flowers are white with grey longitudinal lines and resemble thin rice paper. They open in a sudden and instant flurry of petals taking only a few seconds. The short-lived strongly fragrant flower lasts only a day but these plants grow in clumps and often a number of buds open on consecutive days.
The lime green leaves are spirally twisted and very ornamental.
P. tenuifolium usually flowers with the onset of the main rains from mid-November until mid-December. In places in the Pontdrift and Steenbokpan area, where the species grows in scattered clumps, the plants are spectacular when perfect environmental conditions promote mass flowering.
Nerine laticoma is common in the arid summer rainfall South African interior. The white and white suffused with pink flowered form is possibly only found in the Limpopo River Basin from about Ellisras eastwards to the Pontdrift area.
The white flowered form of Nerine laticoma is found in the western section of the Limpopo River basin. In years of good rainfall the floral displays of this species are spectacular.
The bulbs grow mostly in arid thornveld and also within the dappled shade of Baobab trees in the Alldays area.
Flowering begins in late November and December but usually peaks in early February in years when there is prolonged and abundant rain. The floral displays in these years are amongst the most magnificent of any South African Amaryllid. The heads of flowers are particularly large almost the size of a Brunsvigia.
One of South Africa’s rarest Nerines and also one of the most beautiful is Nerine frithii. This plant has suffered an extensive and widespread decline owing to habitat loss and degradation. The largest and densest populations are now restricted to a small area in the Zeerust region of the North West Province. The Nerine grows in pockets of deep soil at the edges of exposed dolomite rock sheets, usually amongst short grass tufts. The flowering season is the first half of February, often the wettest period in the Zeerust area. In years of good rainfall the habitat becomes temporarily inundated and at these times the displays of flowers are at their best.
Nerine frithii is rare and sparse in habitat. It has some of the most attractive flowers in the Genus Nerine.
All the Amaryllids which have been discussed make good container subjects for horticulture. Most require large deep containers and regular watering during the summer growing season. The pots should be placed in very light shade or morning only sun. They should be protected from the harsh rays of the afternoon sun which may cause buds and flowers to burn.
Seeds are readily produced in some species with hand pollination.
Seeds are easily germinated by at first placing them in a shaded position on a tray until roots start to sprout. They should then be evenly scattered over the surface of the soil in large deep propagation trays. These should be placed in very light shade or else in a situation where they receive only morning sun. The ideal sowing mixture comprises half silt and half sandy soil to which a handful of sieved very well rotted compost has been added. Young bulbs have usually developed by the beginning of the first autumn. They can be transplanted at the beginning of the next growing season in the case of Crinums or at the beginning of the third growing season in the case of Nerines.
Penrock Seeds and Plants offers seeds and bulbs of most of these species.