Lachenalia bulbifera

Description

Lachenalia bulbifera, syn. L. pendula, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to the Western Cape of South Africa. It is a bulbous perennial growing to 30 cm (12 in) tall by 5 cm (2 in) broad, with strap-shaped spotted leaves and fleshy stems bearing pendent tubular orange or red flowers 3 cm long, in winter and spring. The Latin bulbifera literally means "bulb-bearing", and refers to the plant's habit of producing bulblets, which can be separated from the parent plant and grown on. This plant requires a sheltered, frost-free position, or it can be grown under glass. The species and its pink-flowered cultivar 'George'have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Lachenalia is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae,which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of them have a dormancy period, but new roots will always grow every year. Lachenalia is named after the Swiss botanist Werner de Lachenal (1736-1800).Species are sometimes known as Cape cowslip, though they are not directly related to the true cowslip Primula veris.