''Dierama igneum'', the fiery wandflower, is a species of flowering plant in the iris family Iridaceae, native to south east Africa. It is a slow-growing,

bulb In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

ous

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

growing to tall from clumps of grass-like leaves.

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

in its native Africa, it may become

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

in colder regions. The trumpet shaped flowers are borne on long, arching stems, and are normally salmon pink in colour. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''igneum'', meaning "glowing" or "fiery", may refer to these arching sprays of blooms. The common name angel's fishing-rod attaches to all species of ''Dierama''. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...

s. Rated as hardy down to (RHS hardiness rating H4), it requires a sheltered, south-facing spot in full sun, and dislikes winter wet. Dierama igneum - Flickr - peganum.jpg Dierama igneum 1DS-II 9855.jpg Dierama igneum 1DS-II 9769.jpg

References

igneum Endemic flora of South Africa Flora of the Cape Provinces Flora of KwaZulu-Natal {{Iridaceae-stub