AMARYLLIDACEAE

Crinum stuhlmannii subsp. delagoense

Candy-striped Crinum

Wildflowers

Local Context

A special find on Raptor's View. The tepals open wide at night but then close. It is found in Limpopo, North West province and Namibia.

Identification

Growth: Bulbous plant with an underground bulb (up to 8 cm wide) that has a distinct neck (up to 8 cm long).
Flowers: Usually appearing singly (rarely in pairs) without a stalk; the main flower stalk remains mostly underground; the flowers have a curved, pinkish tube (8.5–15 cm long) that opens into a bell shape, with petals displaying a pale pink to deep rose stripe down the back.
Leaves: Narrow and grass-like (10–18 cm long), growing in a rosette at the base; they can be upright, arching, or sprawling on the ground.
Texture: Leaf edges are smooth and hairless; the protective bracts around the flower are papery with a pinkish tinge.
Fruit: A nearly round, beaked capsule (up to 2 cm wide) containing finely bumpy seeds that are yellowish-green but turn black when exposed to air.

Did You Know?

The currently accepted treatment, which distinguishes Crinum walteri as a separate species from C. minimum, is established in the Flora Zambesiaca (Volume 13, Part 1, 2008) authored by Zimudzi, Archer, Kwembeya, and Nordal. This taxonomic separation, adopted by Plants of the World Online and databases like iNaturalist, is based on diagnostic features including solitary flowers, narrow leaves, and beaked fruits. C. minimum occurs in Northern Zambia and further north.

Back to List