Lachenalia carnosa Indigenous Bulb Seeds - We sell all the seeds for Gardening in South Africa

Lachenalia carnosa Seeds

South African Endemic Flowering Perennial Bulb

Lachenalia, which belongs to the Hyacinthaceae family, is a genus of bulbous plants from southern Africa. The genus consists of nearly 130 species, most of which are quite short in stature with only a few exceeding 15cm. Many have large, eye-catching and ornamental flowers in an assortment of colours ranging from sea-green or blue to rich red and clear bright pink, often accompanied by attractively marked leaves. A handful of species are found in Namibia, but most are South African endemics with the greatest diversity found in the Western Cape. The genus name Lachenalia commemorates the Swiss botanist Prof. Werner de Lachenal (1739-1800) who was stationed at the University of Basel during the late 18th century. Propagation from seed is easy and straightforward and they are well suited to rockeries and being grown in pots. Lachenalia carnosa is a Namaqualand species with two bright green ovate leaves with depressed longitudinal veins on the upper surface. Once known as L. ovatifolia this species has attractive small flowers in which the inner perianth segments are tipped with a broad magenta band. The outer segments are a sort of dirty white with a tinge of pale blue at the base and green gibbosities. The leaves are different to many Lachenalia in that they are broader and have pronounced depressed veins running their whole length. This is one of the species that I give extra drainage to by increasing the quantity of sharp sand in the potting mix.