Spiloxene capensis Seeds - Indigenous South African Perennial Bulb - Insured Flat Ship Rate

Spiloxene capensis Seeds

Spiloxene is a genus in the Hypoxidaceae family with around 25 species, mostly native to southern Africa. They generally have large flowers. At the height of the Cape's spring season, species of the genus Spiloxene offer flower seekers fine displays of brilliant, floral stars. The name Spiloxene is derived from the Greek spilos, a spot, and xenos, a host or a stranger, which emphasizes the dark spots commonly found in the centre of the flowers of the widespread and well-known Spiloxene capensis. Spiloxene is a relatively uniform group of small, deciduous plants which seldom reach a height of 500 mm. The rootstock is a corm which is replaced annually after each growing season. Spiloxene species are predominantly spring flowering and since they produce a succession of inflorescences each season they continue to flower for a month or more. Generally they are sun-loving, so the flowers remain closed if conditions are cold or wet, often for several days at a time, until the weather improves. Even on warm days the flowers open for only a few hours, usually between 11am and 4 pm.

Spiloxene capensis grows from 10cm to 35cm tall with two to eight recurved leaves. The corm has a cap of short, fine bristles. It is usually found growing on seasonally wet flats from Clanwilliam to Cape Peninsula, Oudtshoorn, and western Karoo. During spring it bears variable flowers in white/yellow with or without iridescent green centres.