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Cyrtanthus breviflorus

Common name:		Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Author:	Baker.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Anoiganthus breviflorus (Harv.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Africa.
Habitat:	Small streams, wet grassland or marshy slopes, to 3000 metres [90].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Anoiganthus luteus[G]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	breviflorus = short flowered; florus = flowered;

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen bulb growing to 0.3m by 0.1m . It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist or wet soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

A food plant[177]. No more details are given.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a moist soil[90]. Requires a free-draining light soil in full sun[188].
This species is not very hardy in Britain, it tolerates temperatures down to about -5° if it is growing in a warm sheltered position in a well-drained soil[200]. It is best given some protection over winter[1]. Plants are deciduous in colder climates[200].
It is best to keep the plants fairly dry when they are resting[200].
A very variable plant[90].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe, otherwise in spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division of offsets after flowering.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Anoiganthus breviflorus (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for the family Amaryllidaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

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

References

[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]).

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[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.

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
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Cyrtanthus+breviflorus
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Cyrtanthus+breviflorus

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