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A spectacular bulb widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. I was given a seedling and it has now come into bloom.
Flowering with the foliage, plants from more extreme dry season climates produce flowers from the bare ground and
then produce leaves when it rains. It hasn't done well for me in a pot and the bulbs tend to die in the dry "season".
I think it might do better in a much larger pot that gave less extreme conditions. Plant Delights Nursery (North Carolina) say: "Scadoxus multiflorus, a South African amaryllid from the Southern rainfall region, has been one of the greatest surprises in our hardiness trials. Despite enduring temperatures as low as 0 degrees F since the mid-1990s, the deciduous torch lily has returned each year. In early July, the 1' tall flower spike emerges overnight, topped with a tiny reddish bud that quickly explodes like a skyward firework into a 6-8", fuzzy red fireball. During flowering, the 1' tall, glossy green, strappy leaves emerge from the ground on short green stalks forming a hosta-like clump that lasts throughout the summer. A bed of torch lilies is sure to cause visitors to do a double take." |
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