Haemanthus albiflos

Haemanthus albiflos with inflorescences.

The Haemanthus albiflos ( often called " elephant ear ") is a flowering plant in the genus blood flowers ( Haemanthus ) from the family of the Amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae ).

The botanical name refers to the exceptionally white flowers style while predominate red flowers in the genus.

Description

It makes perennial, evergreen succulent and slightly herbaceous plants reach stature heights of 20 to 30 cm. All plant parts contain a red juice. The leaves are sprouting two lines a half above ground and there green onion of up to 8 cm in diameter. The fleshy, up to about 25 x 10 cm large leaves are quite variable. Their color varies from light - on - dark to gray- green, sometimes with yellowish spots on the upper leaf surface. Usually the leaves are bare and dull, but sometimes also hairy or shiny tiny.

The inflorescence appears on a 25 cm high hollow stem just above a whorl of about 2 cm long, greenish white bracts. It is a tight cone of about 3 to 5 cm in diameter, containing a number of small florets. The many, to 5 cm long, white stamens with bright yellow to orange -colored anthers give the whole inflorescence the shape of a brush. The fleshy berry fruits turn bright orange when ripe to red and give off a noticeable musty smell.

Dissemination

The natural range of the species extends from the Western Cape in South Africa on the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu -Natal to altitudes of about 100 to 800 m above sea level. The plants stand there in clusters in very loose, but never completely desiccating soils in the shade of Begleitvegatation.

Cultivation

The Haemanthus albiflos is an easy- to-maintain, but rare ornamental plant, which is held in Central Europe mostly as a houseplant. The plants are less susceptible to pests and diseases, however, can not tolerate frost, no persistent waterlogging and no direct sunlight. So they are ideal plants for a more warm and shady place such as in the second row on a facing east or west window sill. A summery outdoor stay in a shady spot in the garden or on a balcony shady lying is usually answered with strong growth. In subtropical areas or planted out in a heated greenhouse, after a few years the plants form dense clumps as in the natural habitat.

The multiplication can be done vegetatively via bulbils or leaf cuttings, or generative over commercially available seeds.