Cyrtanthus breviflorus
Baker.
Amaryllidaceae
The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.
Common Name: Fire Lily
General Information
Cyrtanthus breviflorus is a Evergreen Bulb up to 0.30 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
S. Africa.
Habitat
Small streams, wet grassland or marshy slopes, to 3000 metres [
90- Title
- Bulbs
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. and Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books
- Year
- 1989
- ISBN
- 0-330-30253-1
- Description
- Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Bulb |
| Height | 0.30 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Easily grown in a moist soil[
90- Title
- Bulbs
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. and Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books
- Year
- 1989
- ISBN
- 0-330-30253-1
- Description
- Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.
]. Requires a free-draining light soil in full sun[
188- Title
- The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brickell. C.
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd.
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-86318-386-7
- Description
- Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
].
This species is not very hardy in Britain, it tolerates temperatures down to about -5° if it is growing in a warm sheltered position in a well-drained soil[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. It is best given some protection over winter[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
]. Plants are deciduous in colder climates[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
It is best to keep the plants fairly dry when they are resting[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
A very variable plant[
90- Title
- Bulbs
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. and Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books
- Year
- 1989
- ISBN
- 0-330-30253-1
- Description
- Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.
].
Edible Uses
A food plant[
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
]. No more details are given.
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe, otherwise in spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division of offsets after flowering.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
