Haemanthus crispus Snijman
Common names: crispy-leaved paintbrush lily
A splash of brilliant red in autumn comes from this beautiful Cape bulb.
Haemanthus crispus is a small deciduous geophyte. Bulbs up to 6 cm in diameter, mostly forming small clusters. Leaves narrow, strap-shaped, 10 to 20 cm long, with dark green and maroon blotches on the underside, margins wavy, emerging soon after the inflorescence. Flower heads up to 20 cm tall, with a compact umbel, 2 to4 cm in diameter, of red or sometimes pink flowers surrounded by large, waxy, red or pink petal-like bracts. Berries round, 1 to 2 cm in diameter, pale pink (Snijman 1984).
Haemanthus crispus is treated as Least Concern (LC) in the Red List of South African Plants ( Raimando et al . 2009 ).
Distribution and habitat
Haemanthus crispus is endemic to the Greater Cape Floristic Region and occurs widely from Clanwilliam, north throughout Namaqualand to Steinkopf (Snijman 1984).
Derivation of name and historical aspects
The name Haemanthus means blood flower (derived from Greek haima for blood and anthos meaning flower) a reference to the red inflorescence found in most species. The specific epithet crispus refers to the wavy leaf margins.
Unlike the summer-rainfall species of Haemanthus, which usually flower in spring to summer, H. crispus, like the other winter-rainfall species of the genus, flowers in the dry autumn months (March to April) when little else is in flower.
The flower heads of this species are almost always red except for a single known population from Koebee Pass on the Bokkeveld Escarpment east of Vanrhynsdorp, where they are pink (Snijman 1984).
Growing Haemanthus crispus
Haemanthus crispus will make the most impact in a rockery or container in full sun or partial shade, protected from frost. As they are from the winter-rainfall region, they are best left dry during summer when they are dormant. Regular watering can commence in autumn, once they have started to sprout. They can be propagated from seed, bulb, cuttings and offsets.