Scadoxus puniceus Seeds - Paintbrush lily or Snake lily

Scadoxus puniceus Seeds

Common names: Paintbrush lily, Snake lily 

The spectacular paintbrush lily is one of South Africa's most striking bulbous plants. Growing naturally in shady areas in coastal bush, ravines and forest, it can be found in the northern provinces, Free State, KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape; with its distribution extending to Tropical Africa. This species is quite variable and a number of different forms occur throughout its distribution range. There are nine species of Scadoxus, of which three (S.puniceus, S.multiflorus and S.membranaceus) occur in South Africa. Closely related to Haemanthus, Scadoxus was separated in order to distinguish those plants with elongated stems (Scadoxus) from those with broad, stemless leaves (Haemanthus). The paintbrush lily was formerly known as Haemanthus magnificus. The name Scadoxus is derived from "doxus" meaning glory or splendour, and punicues means crimson, scarlet or purple.