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Agapanthus africanus

Common name:	African Lily	Family:	Alliaceae
Author:	(L.)Hoffman.	Botanical references:	73, 200
Synonyms:	Agapanthus umbellatus (L'Hé r.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Africa.
Habitat:	Upper slopes of Table mountain and the southern mountains[73].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. praecox[G,H] A. umbellatus[H] A. umbellatus [H] Abumon africanum[G] Crinum africanum[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	African Lily [H], Agapanthus [H], Lily Of The Nile [H,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	africanus = African canus = grayed due to hairs

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen bulb growing to 1m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 9 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Cardiac Stomachic.

Cardiac, stomachic[61].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeed in most soils[175], but prefers a light very well-drained porous soil with plenty of leaf-mold[1, 200]. Plants need to be kept moderately dry during the growing season but with moisture in winter[1]. They only flower freely if growing in a very sunny position[175]. Plants succeed in maritime gardens[233].
This species is not very hardy in Britain[1], but some forms of the plant tolerate several degrees of frost[200]. They are best given a good mulch if temperatures lower than 0° c occur[200]. Plants are growing well at the foot of a wall in Cambridge Botanical Gardens[K].
Hybridizes very freely with other members of this genus, some botanists say there is only one very variable species of Agapanthus[200].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].
The flowering stems lean towards the sun[175].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe[200], it can also be sown in a greenhouse in March/April[133]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 18° c[133], do not sow it too thickly so that it is possible to grow the seedlings on in their pot without disturbing them for their first year of growth. Give occasional liquid feeds to make sure they do not become nutrient deficient. Divide the seedlings up into individual pots in the spring following germination, grow them on for a further year in the greenhouse and then plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. Seedlings take 2 - 3 years to flower[133].
Division of offsets in April/May. Do not move plants between October and March[175]. Division is very easy in the growing season, the divisions can be planed straight out into their permanent positions if required.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Agapanthus praecox (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Agapanthus umbellatus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[73] Adamson. and Salter. Flora of the Cape Peninsula.
A good flora but rather short on details of habitat. Not for the casual reader.

[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[175] Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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