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Cyrtanthus breviflorus
Amaryllidaceae FAMILY

Cyrtanthus breviflorus

Cyrtanthus breviflorus

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Bulb
Growth—

Cyrtanthus breviflorus is a plant mainly found in seasonally dry tropical and subtropical climates. It is somewhat cold tolerant, surviving short-lived periods when temperatures fal as low as -5°c. It becomes deciduous when grown in the cooler parts of its range[1]. Easily grown in a moist soil[2]. Requires a free-draining light soil in full sun[3]. Plants can flower all year round, though most commonly after spring fires[4]. It is best to keep the plants fairly dry when they are resting[1]. A very variable plant[2].

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. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Cyrtanthus+breviflorus>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]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.
  2. [2]Bulbs — Phillips. R. and Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30253-1 ↩︎Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.
  3. [3]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
  4. [4]A Flora of the Eastern Cape Province Volume 1-3 — Bredenkamp C.L. · South African National Biodiversity Institute; Pretoria · 2019 · ISBN 978-1-928224-28-0 ↩︎
  5. [5]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · 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.
  6. [6]Swaziland's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses — Chris Long · 2005 · http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/chrislong.asp ↩︎A basic, but very long, list of names and uses.