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Pride of place amongst the Cyrtanthus of the Eastern Cape must go the
magnificent C. obliquus. No wonder it featured on the cover of Herbertia
Vol. 52 (1997). It always occurs on exposed rocky outcrops in drier areas where its bulbs are crowded between the rocks or cling to steep cliffs. It is
evergreen with large grey-green strap-like leaves. Its large brilliant orange and green flowers in mid-summer in the middle of such rugged surroundings, are a never-to-be-forgotten sight. The main requirement in cultivation is
excellent drainage with bulbs at least halfway out of the soil. It is fairly widely distributed in the Eastern Cape, extending from the Knysna district eastwards into Natal.
The high mountains of the region are home to a number of striking and
interesting species of Cyrtanthus. C. tuckii var. viridilobus occurs sparsely in the high mountain grassland - a beautiful species with bright green tips to its orange flowers. The endemic C. suaveolens is a dainty maroon coloured
species with recurved perianth lobes occurring only on the summits of the Amatola mountains where it flowers in October. It is one of the few
Cyrtanthus that have a solid peduncle. It is a hardy species which adapts well to cultivation. The most beautiful of the mountain Cyrtanthus and one with a very specialised habitat is another endemic to the Amatola, Katberg and
Winterberg ranges, C. huttonii. This glorious species with its large, almost
iridescent dark orange blooms and purple bracts born on tall peduncles occurs in moist crevices along mountain streams and waterfalls or on cliffs where there is continuous water seepage through its roots. Occasionally it may be found in permanently wet areas on steep mountain slopes in the Amatola and Katberg ranges. It flowers in mid-summer. While it germinates readily and the juvenile plants survive easily, its habitat is almost impossible to
reproduce. It represents a challenge to flower in cultivation. What a reward it will yield to those who are successful!
Even more widespread is the intrepid small red species C. macowanii, which flowers in December and early January. It occurs in isolated but widespread populations from Graaff Reinet to Maclear and is very variable over its range.
Two interesting related species with spiral leaves occur in much drier and
inhospitable regions of the East Cape. The diminutive C. helictus occurs in sandy soil in sparse, dry grassland in isolated populations from Cathcart
northwards to Sterkstroom. However these populations consist of vast
numbers of individuals, the low growing flowers being massed in a spectacular display in a good season. The tiny tightly corkscrew leaves are seldom longer than 6cm and the trumpet-shaped white flowers with pink candy stripes are borne singly on stems no higher than 10cm. It flowers in October. A larger and very showy species with spiral leaves and large multiple flowerheads, C. smithiae, occurs in hot and dry sandy flats in bushveld, on either side of the Great Fish River between Cookhouse and Fort Brown. The Cookhouse populations are cream coloured with greenish candy stripes while those from Fort Brown are various shades of pink with darker pink stripes. Because of the uncertainty of the rainfall, successful flowering and seed setting is not achieved every year. However, the bulbs seem quite content to lie dormant through the dry periods, bursting into life and completing a short reproductive cycle if it rains any time between November and January.
Two further closely related species with pale candy striped flowers are found in the southern coastal strip of the region. C. loddigesianus occurs in the dunes between Port Elizabeth and East London. It has fairly robust upright leaves and 1 - 3 pale cream flowers with green candy stripes born horizontally to almost erect. In contrast a closely related but much smaller plant,
C. clavatus, with narrow, slightly twisted leaves and pale pink candy stripes, occurs further inland between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown in open
grassland. The flowers are very similar to C. helictus, but can be distinguished from this species in that the leaves are not tightly spiralled, there may be up to four flowers on a peduncle and it flowers two months later than C. helictus. Both C. loddigesianus and C. clavatus have leaves when in flower in January.
At least another three species awaiting clarification occur in the East Cape.
A January-flowering small orange variety with two very narrow leaves born at the same time as the flowers, occurs on the high hills around Grahamstown. Dr. Dee Snijman of the National Botanical Institute, Cape Town, (personal communication) has offered the opinion that these may fall into the
C. macowanii complex but differ in leaf form and other features.
Further material of this group must be collected for clarification.
A further species from the Stutterheim district was discovered some years ago on rocky hillsides above the Kei River. It flowers from late January through February, is more distinctive and has recently been described as a new species by Dr. Snijman. Larger than C. macowanii with slightly broader leaves, also born at the same time as the 3 - 5 flowers, which are trumpet shaped. She has honoured me by naming it after me - C. macmasteri.
Nerine
Nerine is a genus which is very well represented in the Eastern Cape.
Most species make excellent garden subjects and require little effort to grow. Nerine masonorum, which occurs in the area formerly known as the Transkei, is the smallest of the group. It has tiny compact flower heads and fine filiform leaves. It is the earliest to flower, from late January. Bulbs multiply
profusely. N. gibsonii occurs in the highlands of the Transkei between Lady Frere and Cala. Its habitat is severely degraded and, as it is confined to such a small area, it is possibly doomed to extinction. It is remarkable in that the colour of this species in the wild varies from pure white to purple with all the shades of pink inbetween, with no one colour dominant. Leaves are filiform, fairly robust, both leaves and flowers being of a similar shape and size to
N. angulata.
Nerine filifolia occurs widely in various spots in the East Cape always between rock slabs or in shallow poorly drained soil overlaying rock slabs. It flowers in April and is almost evergreen. A diagnostic feature is the hairy peduncle.
N. filamentosa is a very distinct species with a limited range in the Cathcart district where it grows in similar habitats to N. filifolia but populations do not overlap. It has very fine filiform leaves and a smooth peduncal and is
deciduous. The large flower heads are arranged in a sparse, flattened umbel with strongly recurved petals and extremely long filaments. It flowers from early February.
Nerine angulata, from riverbanks and seepage areas in the highlands of the Amatola and Bosberg mountains from Stutterheim and Cathcart to Somerset East, is the largest species with filiform leaves in this region. An occasional pure white specimen is seen. This Nerine occurs in vast numbers in moist
depessions making magnificent and unforgettable massed displays when in flower in April. The large flowers are distinct with the upper petals arranged vertically in a fan shape. It tends to be almost evergreen, the leaves occurring with the flower. The seeds are more rectangular than round. Because its marshy high altitude habitat is difficult to simulate, it does not adapt easily to cultivation.
There are three forms of broad-leaved nerines in the Eastern Cape.
Nerine alta grows in full sun in damp marshy areas in the Kei Road,
Stutterheim and Cathcart districts. The petals are very fine, tending to role into tubes that are strongly crisped giving the impression of a dainty, spidery flower. It is dark pink in colour, deciduous and flowers in late April and May. Nerine undulata occurs further west in the Adelaide and Bedford districts. While the leaves are similar, it is remarkably different from N. alta in the flower and petal shape. Petals are broad and shorter (stubby) with strongly crisped margins - much paler pink than N. alta. It flowers in May and June.
It grows naturally near shady forest margins. It is virtually evergreen with leaves dying back briefly at flowering time but emerging soon after.
In contrast to N.alta, bulbs multiply profusely. This is a very showy, hardy
and robust species which is very easy and rewarding to grow. The third broad leaved species is Nerine flexuosa from the southern aspect and summit of the Bosberg near Somerset East where it occurs in well drained peaty soil on steep slopes in fairly thick fynbos type vegetation. It is the last nerine to flower - in June. It is almost evergreen with leaves broad, flat and long. Flowers are large, almost as big as N. bowdenii, but with shorter petals and a pale pink colour. Officially N. alta and N. flexuosa are regarded as part of the wider N. undulata complex, but I prefer to refer to them by their old names.
In a category of its own is Nerine huttoniae which is found in alluvial sandy soil and on flat seasonally wet plains throughout the Fish River valley.
It occurs in dense stands in large pupulations, flowering in January and
February. In appearance it is much like Brunsvigia with a very large
inflorescence and up to eight broad strap-like leaves which occur at the same time as the flowers in early March (Dold and Weeks, 2000).
Continued …….
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