Haemanthus

''Haemanthus'' is a Southern African genus of flowering plants in the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Members of the genus are known as blood lily and paintbrush lily. There are some 22 known species, native to South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini. 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.

Description

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.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Haemanthus'' was created in 1753 by Linnaeus. The name is derived from Greek words αίμα, ''haima'' and ανθος, ''anthos'', meaning "blood flower". In 1838 the eccentric Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, placed ''H. pubescens'' in a new genus ''Leucodesmis'', ''H. coccineus'' in ''Perihema'', and ''H. carneus'' in ''Serena''. The troubled English botanist Richard Anthony Salisbury (1761–1829) in his 1866 posthumous publication 'Genera of Plants', placed ''H. amarylloides'' under ''Melicho'' and ''H. albiflos'' under ''Diacles''.

The genus was illustrated in Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin's description of the rarities in the glasshouses of Schönbrunn, ''Plantarum Rariorum Horti Caesarei Schoenbrunnensis Descriptiones Et Icones'' (1797–98). The first thorough taxonomic treatment of the genus was by Baker in 1896 and published in ''Flora Capensis''. Nothing further was done until 1976 when Friis & Nordal published a brief review recognising only 6 species and reinstating '' Scadoxus''. Dierdré Snijman's work published in 1984, described 21 distinct species, with ''H. pauculifolius'', occurring only on the Transvaal Drakensberg Escarpment, later being added.

Species

A list of all the species accepted by the ''World Checklist of Selected Plant Families'' is given below. Species formerly included in ''Haemanthus'' have been transferred to a number of genera, including '' Scadoxus''. For example, ''Haemanthus grandiflorus'' is now ''Scadoxus multiflorus''.

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. Seeds when ripe are generally surrounded by a sticky pulp, producing long silken threads which presumably are useful in anchoring the seed when germinating and in the early stages of growth.

See also

* List of plants known as lily

References

Germplasm Resources Information NetworkAfrican Flowering Plants Database
*''The Genus Haemanthus: A Revision'' - Deidré Snijman (National Botanic Gardens of South Africa 1984)
Pacific Bulb Society

External links

Haemanthus paintings by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q886510

Flora of Southern Africa
Amaryllidaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Garden plants of Southern Africa