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Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus
Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus is a bulbous plant from the Rwenzori Mountains of east Africa, notable for its pendant tubular flowers. It is grown in heated greenhouses and does best kept consistently moist, shaded and in a very open, orchid-style mix.
Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus is a herbaceous plant endemic to the Rwenzori Mountains of east tropical Africa. Unusually for the genus Scadoxus its tubular blooms are pendant. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant in heated greenhouses.
In 2004, S. cyrtanthiflorus was said to be unknown in cultivation, although in 1928 it had received an RHS Award of Merit. In 2014, it was among those described as "becoming more widely grown." In cultivation, S. cyrtanthiflorus is said to grow "well, if quite slowly, with most growth being in spring and autumn." The recommended potting medium is a very open organic mix, as would be used for orchids. Pests are those of Scadoxus generally.
The genus Scadoxus is known to have some strongly toxic species, containing poisonous alkaloids. These are lethal to animals, such as sheep and goats, that graze on the plants. Other species of Scadoxus have been used in parts of tropical Africa as components of arrow poisons and fishing poisons.
Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus is endemic to the Rwenzori Mountains on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It grows at altitudes of between 1,600–3,200 m (5,200–10,500 ft), but is mostly found at around 2,000–2,400 m (6,600–7,900 ft). Plants normally grow in constantly moist, shady habitats in forest undergrowth, either in the ground in highly organic soils, as epiphytes on tree trunks or on rocks and boulders.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
