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A winter flowering relative of Crocosmia from the south coast of the Cape.
I have struggled to find a place in the greenhouse where it is both protected enough to survive and light enough to flower. This is my first success, more chance and pig-headedness
than talent. It may also be the last flower, I have no illusions that I have finally "cracked it". Siunce I wrote that, the situation has clarified. The plant has proved to be easy and resilient in the greenhouse and dur for a trialoutside. Chasmanthe floribunda prospers in a number of local gardens and this doesn't seem to be any more tender. I feel as though I havbe been growing it for years but when I look back at my records I have no pictures before 2021. I acquired it almost by accident at the end of a charity sale and at the time it was labelled Chasmanthe aethiopica. The distinctive flowers and the flowering season identify it as Chasmanthe bicolor. Plantzafrica says: "This plant is a winter-growing, cormous geophyte up to 1.3 m high. The corm is 45mm in diameter, is slightly depressed and surrounded with several layers of dark brown, scaly leaf bases called tunics. Conservation Status: Vulnerable, meaning that it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild. Chasmanthe bicolor is known from only three sites, but since its habitat is not well explored, it is estimated that there are approximately ten locations where it grows. It is declining as a result of crop farming, construction of dams and because alien plants are invading its habitat. Chasmanthe bicolor is endemic to the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It occurs in sheltered ravines and in open woodland near streams in the Robertson district, between McGregor and Swellendam. Its full geographic range is, however, not well known. The name Chasmanthe means 'gaping mouth', from the Greek words, chasme, meaning gaping, and anthos, flower, referring to the shape of the flower. The word bicolor is Latin for two-coloured; referring to the colour of the flowers." |
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| 15th April 2021 | ||
