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Scadoxus multiflorus
Also called Fireball Lily
In Singapore: Blood Lily, Powderpuff Lily, Fireball Lily, Catherine Wheel, 网球花 (Grown in Singapore)
Bloodlily is a bulbous plant from tropical and southern Africa, grown for its spherical clusters of scarlet flowers. Give it a free-draining, mostly organic medium and keep it warm and frost-free.
Scadoxus multiflorus (formerly Haemanthus multiflorus) is a species of bulbous plant native to most of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Somalia to South Africa. It is also native to Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman) and to the Seychelles. It is naturalized in Mexico and in the Chagos Archipelago. It is grown as an ornamental plant for its brilliantly coloured flowers, either in containers or in the ground in where the climate is suitable. There are three recognized subspecies. Strongly toxic like other Scadoxus species, it has been used as a component of arrow poisons and fishing poisons, as well as in traditional medicine. Common names, some of which are used for other species, include blood lily, ball lily, fireball lily, blood flower, Katherine-wheel, oxtongue lily, poison root and powderpuff lily.
Scadoxus multiflorus is chill-sensitive and must be kept at a minimum temperature of 5 °C (41 °F), for forms of southern African origin, up to
10 °C (50 °F) or more for those of tropical origin. An open, well-drained growing medium, largely organic in nature, is recommended. Propagation is by seed. Pests are those of Scadoxus generally.
The genus Scadoxus has some strongly toxic species, containing poisonous alkaloids lethal to animals, such as sheep and goats, that graze on the leaves or bulbs. Scadoxus multiflorus is traditionally used in parts of tropical Africa as a component of arrow poisons and fishing poisons. It is also used in traditional medicine, although in South Africa less so than Scadoxus puniceus.
The species is native to tropical and southern Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula. The subspecies S. m. subsp. multiflorus is found throughout southern Africa. S. m. subsp. longitubus is found across tropical West and Central Africa, including in Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. S. m. subsp. katherinae is native to Mediterranean climate forest, scrub and woodland in eastern southern Africa – Cape Province and KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and Swaziland. It is primarily a plant of moist, shady habitats, including savannah woodlands and forests along rivers and mountains.
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Scadoxus multiflorus 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.
