Haemanthus crispus
Encyclopedia
Haemanthus crispus is a South Africa
n bulbous geophyte in the genus Haemanthus
and occurring in Namaqualand
which lies in the winter rainfall region. It is a common species and is found from Steinkopf to the Olifants River, growing from the coastal flats eastwards onto the stony, lower slopes of the first terrace, usually in heavy soils and often in the shade of low succulent shrubs.
H. crispus may be solitary or like many other Haemanthus species, gregarious and growing in clumps. It has from 1 to 3 leaves that appear soon after flowering. The leafblades may be hairy or glabrous, canaliculate and marked with maroon spots and bars on the abaxial surface. The leaf margins, occasionally edged in red, are strongly crisped or crinkled, ranging from throughout their length, to near the base only.
Flowers, appearing from March to May, and spathe valves are usually red, but occasionally pink. Fruits are up to 20 mm diameter, pink and pulpy when ripe, holding from one to four dark-red seeds.
Bulb
s of H. crispus, unusually for winter rainfall species, have tunics whose edges form horizontal girdles, instead of the normal distichous arrangement.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n bulbous geophyte in the genus Haemanthus
Haemanthus
Haemanthus is a Southern African genus of Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, with some 22 known species, endemic to South Africa, Namibia and the kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland...
and occurring in Namaqualand
Namaqualand
Namaqualand is an arid region of Namibia and South Africa, extending along the west coast over and covering a total area of 170,000 square miles/440,000 km². It is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into two portions - Little Namaqualand to the south and Great Namaqualand to the...
which lies in the winter rainfall region. It is a common species and is found from Steinkopf to the Olifants River, growing from the coastal flats eastwards onto the stony, lower slopes of the first terrace, usually in heavy soils and often in the shade of low succulent shrubs.
H. crispus may be solitary or like many other Haemanthus species, gregarious and growing in clumps. It has from 1 to 3 leaves that appear soon after flowering. The leafblades may be hairy or glabrous, canaliculate and marked with maroon spots and bars on the abaxial surface. The leaf margins, occasionally edged in red, are strongly crisped or crinkled, ranging from throughout their length, to near the base only.
Flowers, appearing from March to May, and spathe valves are usually red, but occasionally pink. Fruits are up to 20 mm diameter, pink and pulpy when ripe, holding from one to four dark-red seeds.
Bulb
Bulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
s of H. crispus, unusually for winter rainfall species, have tunics whose edges form horizontal girdles, instead of the normal distichous arrangement.