Liparia splendens¿
15 seeds¿
"Mountain dahlia"
Liparia splendens is a beautiful fynbos shrub with striking bright orange-yellow, nodding flowerheads in winter-summer, a rare find both in the wild and in gardens.
Liparia splendens ssp. splendens is a much-branched, upright, resprouting shrub, usually about 1 m tall.
From autumn until summer (May-Jan) it bears large, rounded, nodding heads, up to 70 x 85 mm, at the tips of the branches. Each head consists of 15-17 bright orange to yellow flowers densely packed among conspicuous dark reddish-brown petal-like bracts.
Although, as its common name suggests, it resembles a dahlia, Liparia splendens is not related to dahlias at all. Dahlias belong in the daisy family (Asteraceae) while Liparia is a member of the legume family (Fabaceae).
Liparia splendens is visited by both sunbirds and carpenter bees in search of nectar, but the pollinator is the sunbird. When the sunbird pushes its head between the petals to get to the nectar, it causes the stamens and style to pop out from the enclosing keel petals, which puts the pollen-bearing anthers and the stigma in contact with the bird's throat feathers. The bird then carries this pollen to the next flowerhead and repeats the process to bring about cross-pollination.
Liparia seeds have a fleshy collar-like aril that attracts ants. The ants carry the seeds away to their nests to consume the aril, dispersing the seeds in the process. This is known as myrmecochory.
Liparia splendens like many legumes, possesses root nodules that fix nitrogen in the soil.
It is not easy to grow this fynbos shrub, but success can be achieved by mimicking its habitat. It likes well-drained, quartzitic, acidic soil, and does best amongst rocks. It needs ample water during autumn-winter-spring and some water during the summer, and it must drain away - soggy soil is sure to cause the rootstock to rot. It also prefers free movement of air and may be more prone to fungal infection in a still, humid position. It does well in full sun or half-day shade.
Grow it in a rockery, or on a rocky slope or embankment in well-drained, sandy soil. Mulch with well-rotted compost applied in spring and autumn and feed with an organic fertiliser. When the plant is established, pinch the tips to encourage branching. When well established, take out the older stems to encourage thickening of the rootstock and new stems to sprout from the rootstock. Old plants (8+ years) can get lanky and scrappy.
Fire has a rejuvenating effect on older plants. To rejuvenate an older garden plant, mimic a fire by cutting the old woody stems right back to the rootstock, but leave a few of the younger stems. This heavy pruning is best done in late summer, just before the rainy season begins in autumn, when the plant should resprout vigorously from the rootstock.
Liparia splendens is sensitive to frost and in cold climates is best grown in a cool, dry glasshouse suited to temperate Mediterranean flora. When growing Liparia splendens in a glasshouse, refrain from watering directly on the leaves or in the evening, as this may cause fungal infections. We have not tried long-term cultivation in containers. Liparia splendens may do well in a container, provided the soil is sandy and well-drained, it is placed in a well-ventilated area that is not too hot, and it is not overwatered.
Liparia splendens can be propagated from seed or cuttings.
From seed: Best results are obtained if the seed is scarified to weaken the seed coat. This can be achieved by sandpapering each seed, or using a sharp blade to make a shallow cut into the seed coat or slicing a small piece of the seed coat off, but take care not to damage the embryo inside.Next soak the seed overnight in hot water (not boiling - use water that will not scald your hand). Seed should then be sown, in late summer to autumn.
in sterile, well-drained medium and kept warm and moist until germination. It is crucial that they be watered with a fungicide that combats both pre- and post-emergence damping off.
Germination from treated seed should take about 6 weeks. Without these treatments, you will find that many seeds swell but don't germinate, and those that germinate will either not make it to the surface (pre-emergence damping off) or will fail to thrive and die soon after producing apparently healthy cotyledons (post-emergence damping off). Another tip to increase the number of surviving seedlings is to minimise the root disturbance by sowing the seed in plugs or small containers, or to transplant the seedlings very early, while still in the cotyledon stage.
