Cyrtanthus mackenii Seeds - Ifafa Lily - South African Indigenous Perennial Bulb

Cyrtanthus mackenii Seeds

Pink Ifafa Lily

Cyrtanthus is the largest genus of the Amaryllidaceae family in Africa consisting of 60 species. Fifty of these species are indigenous to South Africa where they occupy a vast range of habitats, from arid lowlands to snowy mountains. There are desert plants and those capable of withstanding cold and wet. For safety's sake, they should all be regarded as tender. All Cyrtanthus need good drainage. Use clay pots or bed them out, in a soil containing a LOT of river sand. Never put them in peat-based compost (or similar), never use plastic pots. Most do not need much water. Let them dry out almost completely between watering. If in doubt then don't give any water. The majority are deciduous, sometimes only briefly, but they will need a dry dormant period to ripen growth. This charming, sweetly scented bulb is long-flowering and easy to cultivate. It belongs to the genus Cyrtanthus which contains many beautiful species. The flowers of Cyrtanthus mackenii are long and narrow with recurveips, and the leaves are narrowly lance-shaped. This species consists of mainly two colour varieties: Cyrtanthus mackenii var. mackenii, which has pure white flowers, and Cyrtanthus mackenii var. cooperi, which has yellow or cream-coloured flowers. However from time to time we are able to offer pink-coloured seeds selectively collected from nursery stock. The flowers are sweetly scented and pollinated by night-flying moths. Adult plants reach about 400 mm high in full flower, and the individual flowers measure up to 50 mm long. C. mackenii has a very long flowering period, depending on the particular form being cultivated, extending from July to February.