Boophone disticha
Boophone disticha
Safety & Hazards
The bulb contains alkaloids and is very poisonous[1]. Plants growing in some shade are said to be more potent than those growing in full sun[2]. The plants are known to be poisonous to cattle and sheep[1]. The bulb has been used as an arrow poison[2]. The name sore-eye flower refers to the fact that if a person is exposed to the open flowers in a confined space; it may lead to sore eyes and even to a headache[1]
Cultivation Details
Boophone disticha is native to warm, dry climates with a well defined dry season, occurring mainly in summer rainfall regions in its native range. It is not cold tolerant and can be killed at temperatures lower than around 4°c[3, 1]. This plant thrives in full sun in well-drained, sandy soils and also grows in rocky areas. The plants seem to grow equally well in well-drained, sandy soil and in hard ground, but they take a long time to flower after being moved[1]. A very drought-tolerant, spring-flowering species that will flower even if it does not receive any water in winter[1]. The plant can survive fires in its native range, and the seeds actually germinate very quickly if they fall on recently burnt land[1]. In cultivation, the bulb should be planted in such a way that the neck and part of the bulb show above the ground. The bulbs do not produce flowers until they are quite large[1]. The plant produces flowers whilst leafless. The short flowering stem can support 100 or more flowers[4].The colour of flowers varies from shades of pink to red and are sweetly scented[1]. The pedicels (flower stalks) elongate after flowering to form a large seedhead. This breaks off at the top of the scape (stalk) and tumbles across the veld dispersing the seed, which germinate immediately if in burnt soil[3, 1]. The large, round, sweetly scented flowerheads attract bees and flies, which pollinate the flowers. The plants also receive visits from ants[1].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Boophone+disticha>
Pollinators
Bees, Insects
References
- [1]PlantZAfrica.com — http://www.plantzafrica.com ↩︎An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
- [2]Medicinal Plants of South Africa — van Wyk B.; van Oudtshoorn B.; Gericke N. · Briza Publications; Pretoria, S. Africa. · 1997 · ISBN 1-875093-09-5 ↩︎An excellent guide, containing information on over 130 medicinal herbs of S. Africa. It gives a reasonable description of each plant, with excellent photos and details of medicinal uses and active ingredients.
- [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · 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.
- [4]Useful Fiber Plants of the World — Dodge C.R. · USDA; Washington. · 1897 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [5]Flora Zambesiaca — http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html ↩︎An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.