HAEMANTHUS NATALENSIS.

Cape Province, Natal.

Amaryllidaceae. Tribe Amarylleae.

Haemanthus, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. iii. p. 730.

Haemanthus natalensis, Pappe ex Hook. in Bot. Mag. t. 5378; Fl. Cap. vol. vi. p. 232.

The late Dr. Pappe first brought this species to the notice of Kew as an undescribed South African plant, and not long afterwards (1862), Dr. Sanderson sent bulbs from Natal to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which flowered the following year. An excellent figure of the plant appeared in the Botanical Magazine of the same year. The species appears to be fairly common in Natal, but the only Cape Province record we have is supplied by a specimen collected by Mr. W. Tyson at Kokstad, East Griqualand, 1883. The present illustration was made from specimens collected by Miss K. A. Lansdell at “Stella Bush” near Durban. It is popularly known as the “Blood Flower,” “Snake Lily,” and “April Fool.” It is reputed to be poisonous, but is used medicinally by the natives of Natal who know it as “Indumbe-ka-Hloile.”

Description:—An erect plant about 1 metre high. Bulb 2-7·5 cm. in diameter, usually globose. Stem about 1 metre high, closely covered with leaves above and with a few scale-leaves at the base. Leaves sub-erect, 32 cm. long, 8-9 cm. broad, acute, narrowed at the base, glabrous, shining; the sheathing petiole of the lowermost leaves with reddish-brown spots, and the margin round the apex coloured reddish-brown. Peduncle lateral, from the base of the stem, generally shorter than the stem, semi-terete, smooth and glabrous. Inflorescence a many-flowered umbel. Involucral-bracts 7-8, vandyke red to blackish red-purple (R.C.S.), 6·5-7·5 cm. long, 2-5 cm. broad, oblong, sub-acuminate, rounded or obtuse at the apex, glabrous. Floral-bracts about 4 cm. long, 1-2 mm. broad, linear. Flowers scarlet (R.C.S.). Pedicels 1·5-5 cm. long, terete, glabrous. Perianth-tube 1 cm. long, 0·9 cm. in diameter, campanulate, glabrous; lobes 1·2 cm. long, linear, obtuse and recurved at the apex, with a tuft of hairs on each alternate lobe, otherwise glabrous. Stamens exserted, arising at the throat of the perianth-tube; filaments usually about 1·6 cm. long, hermosa pink (R.C.S.); anthers yellow. Ovary 6 mm. long, ellipsoid; style longer than the stamens, hermosa pink (R.C.S.); stigma minute, globose. Fruit a bright-red berry about 1 cm. in diameter, sub-globose, 1-3 seeded.