Description
A deciduous, winter growing species that flowers in the autumn. The flowers are vivid scarlet and held on red pedicles, in a loose ball 10-18 cm across at the same time as the erect glabrous leaves. Plant with one third of the bulb above ground. Clump forming.
In the wild this is extremely rare and is restricted to the escarpment between Namibia and Namaqualand. It occurs there in small colonies only. Discovered in 1937 and hardly ever seen since as flowering in the wild is a once-per-decade affair if you are lucky.
This is seemingly not closely related to any other of the Haemanthus. It naturally makes quite small bulbs even when mature.
