Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus

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Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus
Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus B.jpg
In cultivation
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Amaryllidoideae
Genus: Scadoxus
Species:
S. cyrtanthiflorus
Binomial name
Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus
Synonyms [2]

Choananthus cyrtanthiflorus(C.H.Wright) Rendle
Choananthus wollastoniRendle
Haemanthus cyrtanthiflorusC.H.Wright

Contents

Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus is a herbaceous plant endemic to the Rwenzori Mountains of east tropical Africa. [3] Unusually for the genus Scadoxus its tubular blooms are pendant. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant in heated greenhouses. [4]

Description

Flowers Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus A.jpg
Flowers

Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus is a herbaceous plant growing from a relatively long rhizome. The bases of the leaves (petioles) are tightly wrapped to form a pseudostem or false stem up to 60 cm (24 in) long. The blade of the leaf is elongated, lanceolate in shape. The flowers and leaves appear together. The flowers are borne in an umbel on a scape (leafless stem) 15–45 cm (6–18 in) long; the whole plant is up to 75 cm (30 in) tall. The flower bud begins growth inside the pseudostem but soon breaks through it to appear at the side. The bracts underneath the umbel soon wither. [5]

The umbel is made up of 10–25 individual flowers, each on a 15–35 mm (0.6–1.4 in) long pedicel (flower stalk). The flowers are directed downwards, unusually for the genus (only Scadoxus nutans shares this characteristic, but in this case the scape bends over [4] ). The colour of the flowers varies from a greenish tube, 25–40 mm (1.0–1.6 in) long, formed by the fused bases of the tepals, through white to salmon pink or scarlet at their 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long free tips. The filaments of the stamens are flattened and do not protrude from the flowers (another difference from most other species of Scadoxus). The fruit is a berry, 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) across. [5]

Taxonomy

Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus was first collected in 1895 by the South African botanist George F. Scott-Elliott. However, his specimen was poorly preserved and it was based on a later collection that Charles Henry Wright described and named the species as Haemanthus cyrtanthiflorus in 1906. [2] [4] The specific epithet cyrtanthiflorus means "flowers like Cyrtanthus ".

Scadoxus was originally separated from Haemanthus by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1838, [6] when he moved Haemanthus multiflorus to Scadoxus multiflorus. [7] This separation was ignored by most workers until 1976, when Scadoxus was again segregated from Haemanthus by Friis and Nordal. Haemanthus species are southern in distribution, form true bulbs and have 2n = 16 chromosomes, whereas Scadoxus species, such as S. cyrtanthiflorus, are found throughout tropical Africa, do not all form bulbs and have 2n = 18 chromosomes. [8]

Distribution and habitat

Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus is endemic to the Rwenzori Mountains on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It grows at altitudes of between 1,600–3,200 m (5,200–10,500 ft), but is mostly found at around 2,000–2,400 m (6,600–7,900 ft). Plants normally grow in constantly moist, shady habitats in forest undergrowth, either in the ground in highly organic soils, as epiphytes on tree trunks or on rocks and boulders. [4]

Cultivation

In 2004, S. cyrtanthiflorus was said to be unknown in cultivation, [9] although in 1928 it had received an RHS Award of Merit. In 2014, it was among those described as "becoming more widely grown." [4] In cultivation, S. cyrtanthiflorus is said to grow "well, if quite slowly, with most growth being in spring and autumn." [4] The recommended potting medium is a very open organic mix, as would be used for orchids. Pests are those of Scadoxus generally. [4]

Toxicity

The genus Scadoxus is known to have some strongly toxic species, containing poisonous alkaloids. These are lethal to animals, such as sheep and goats, that graze on the plants. Other species of Scadoxus have been used in parts of tropical Africa as components of arrow poisons and fishing poisons. [10]

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<i>Haemanthus</i>

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<i>Scadoxus puniceus</i>

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<i>Scadoxus</i>

Scadoxus is a genus of African and Arabian plants in the Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. The English name "blood lily" is used for some of the species. The genus has close affinities with Haemanthus. Species of Scadoxus are grown as ornamental plants for their brilliantly coloured flowers, either in containers or in the ground in frost-free climates. Although some species have been used in traditional medicine, they contain poisonous alkaloids.

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<i>Scadoxus multiflorus</i>

Scadoxus multiflorus is a bulbous plant native to most of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Somalia to South Africa. It is also native to Arabian Peninsula and to the Seychelles. It is naturalized in Mexico and in the Chagos Archipelago. It is grown as an ornamental plant for its brilliantly coloured flowers, either in containers or in the ground in where the climate is suitable. There are three recognized subspecies. Strongly toxic like other Scadoxus species, it has been used as a component of arrow poisons and fishing poisons, as well as in traditional medicine. Common names, some of which are used for other species, include blood lily, ball lily, fireball lily, blood flower, Katherine-wheel, oxtongue lily, poison root and powderpuff lily.

<i>Scadoxus cinnabarinus</i>

Scadoxus cinnabarinus is a herbaceous plant from tropical rainforest in Africa. It is native to Western and Central Africa from Sierra Leone in the far west to Angola in the south. It has been reported from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Niger, Sierra Leone, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé, Zaire, Uganda, and Angola.

Scadoxus longifolius is a herbaceous plant from Zaire. It is only known from a single collection, and little information is available about it. It appears to be closely related to Scadoxus cinnabarinus, and Inger Nordal and Thomas Duncan suggested in 1984 that it may not be a distinct species.

<i>Scadoxus membranaceus</i> Species of plant

Scadoxus membranaceus is a flowering plant in the Amaryllidaceae family. It is a bulbous plant from South Africa. The smallest of the species of Scadoxus, it is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant where a minimum temperature of 5 °C (41 °F) can be maintained.

Scadoxus nutans is a herbaceous plant endemic to southwest Ethiopia. Its red to pink flowers face downwards as the top of the flowering stem bends over, unlike any of the other species of Scadoxus. It grows mainly as an epiphyte in tropical mountain forests, which are disappearing, making the species vulnerable to extinction. It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant.

<i>Scadoxus pole-evansii</i>

Scadoxus pole-evansii, commonly known as the Inyanga fireball, is a herbaceous plant endemic to mountains in east Zimbabwe. It was only discovered for science in 1960. Similar in many respects to the more widely grown Scadoxus multiflorus, it is cultivated as an ornamental plant.

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<i>Allium insubricum</i> species of plant in the family Amaryllidaceae

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Haemanthinae

Haemanthinae is a small subtribe of Haemantheae, and therefore within the African clades of Amaryllidoideae. It consists of two genera, Haemanthus, and Scadoxus.

References

  1. International Organization for Plant Information (IOPI). "Plant Name Details". International Plant Names Index . Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  2. 1 2 "Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  3. Linder, H. Peter & Gehrke, Berit (2 March 2006). "Common plants of the Rwenzori, particularly the upper zones" (PDF). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of Zurich. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hutchinson, J. (2014). "Scadoxus of central and east Africa". The Plantsman. New Series. 13 (1): 36–42.
  5. 1 2 "Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus (C.H.Wright) Friis & Nordal". eMonocot. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  6. Rafinesque-Smaltz, C.S. (1838). "Flora Telluriana". Philadelphia. part 4, p. 19 . Retrieved 2014-03-25.Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. "Scadoxus multiflorus". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2014-03-25.
  8. Meerow, Alan W. & Clayton, Jason R. (2004). "Generic relationships among the baccate-fruited Amaryllidaceae (tribe Haemantheae) inferred from plastid and nuclear non-coding DNA sequences". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 244 (3–4): 141–155. doi:10.1007/s00606-003-0085-z. S2CID   10245220.
  9. Shields, James E. (2004-01-31). "The Amaryllis Family: Scadoxus" . Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  10. "Scadoxus multiflorus (Martyn) Raf. subsp. katharinae (Bak.) Friis & Nordal". South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 2014-03-25.