''Scadoxus puniceus'', commonly known as the paintbrush lily, is a species of bulbous plant. It is native to much of southern and eastern Africa:

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Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

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(Swaziland), and

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(the

Cape Provinces The Cape Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "CPP". It includes the Sou ...

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, the Free State and the

Northern Provinces The Northern Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "TVL". It includes the ...

). ''Scadoxus puniceus'' can be found in cool, shady habitat such as ravines and forests, where it is often found in moist leaf litter. Other common names include snake lily, royal paintbrush, King-of-Candida, African blood lily (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

), ''rooikwas'' (

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

), ''isisphompho'', and ''umgola'' ( Zulu). There are nine species of ''Scadoxus'' of which three, ''S. puniceus'', ''S. multiflorus'' (with 2 subspecies) and ''S.membranaceus'', occur in South Africa.

Description

Scadoxus puniceus - Kirstenbosch botanical garden - 1

The bright red, round fruits are about a centimeter wide, and each produces a single

opalescent Opalescence or play of color is an optical phenomena, optical phenomenon associated with the mineraloid gemstone opal,opalescent. 2019. In Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. Retrieved January 7, 2019, from https:// ...

seed.

Taxonomy

The genus was named by the

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; 22 October 178318 September 1840) was a French early 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ult ...

, who did not explain its etymology. The name is possibly from ''doxus'' meaning "glory" or "splendour" in

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

, referring to the scarlet flowers; the prefix ''sca'' means "obscure" or "hidden", or from the Greek "skia" = shade. One source reports the origin of the name to be unclear. p. 167 The species name ''puniceus'' means "reddish-purple". Previously classified as part of ''

Haemanthus ''Haemanthus'' is a Southern African genus of flowering plants in the family (biology), family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. Members of the genus are known as blood lily and paintbrush lily. There are some 22 known species, native ...

'', it was separated mainly because of its stalked leaves.

Synonyms

*''Gyaxis puniceus'' (L.) Salisb. *''Haemanthus fax-imperii'' Cufod. *''Haemanthus goetzei'' Harms *''Haemanthus insignis'' Hook. *''Haemanthus magnificus'' (Herb.) Herb. *''Haemanthus natalensis'' Hook. *''Haemanthus orchidifolius'' Salisb. *''Haemanthus puniceus'' L. *''Haemanthus puniceus'' var. ''fortuita'' Herb. *''Haemanthus puniceus'' var. ''magnificus'' Herb. *''Haemanthus redouteanus'' M.Roem. *''Haemanthus redouteanus'' var. ''subalbus'' M.Roem. *''Haemanthus rouperi'' auct. *''Haemanthus superbus'' Baker

Cultivation

The plant is cultivated as an

ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...

. It was popular in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

as early as the beginning of the 18th century.

Cultivars

Some artificial hybrids between ''Scadoxus puniceus'' and '' S. multiflorus'' subsp. ''katherinae'' are known. Johannes Nicolai raised ''S.'' 'König Albert', which flowered for the first time in 1899. Although rare in cultivation, it multiplies rapidly. Of the same parentage is ''S.'' 'Andromeda', which was raised by C. G. van Tubergen around 1904.

Uses

While the bulb is considered poisonous in significant amounts, it is used traditionally to treat "coughs, gastro-intestinal problems, febrile colds, asthma, leprosy, sprains and bruises," and "as an antidote to poisons.'" It is also used as a

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics ...

. The leaves are applied to sores and ulcers to aid healing and act as an

antiseptic An antiseptic ( and ) is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of sepsis, infection, or putrefaction. Antiseptics are generally distinguished from ''antibiotics'' by the latter's abil ...

. The plant is also traditionally consumed during pregnancy as part of an herbal regime to ensure safe labour. The alkaloids in the plant include haemanthamines, haemanthidine, 6-β-hydroxycrinamine, scapunine, and scadoxucines.