Sunday, November 9, 2008

Ammocharis coranica

This member of the Amaryllidaceae family normally grows in open areas in Acacia or mopane woodland on silty or alluvial soils and on flat ground. Here it grows in our rockery and seems completely at home. It can be found in both Zimbabwe and South Africa and usually grow in colonies - this one is one its own!




In Swaziland the charred bulbs are made into a tar like paste which is used for making head rings for Chiefs. and the paste is used in the north-eastern Transvaal for water proofing earthenware.
Surprising enough there are still a number around!
The flowers last for about three to four days and become pinker as time goes on. The outer flowers come out first and then the centre flowers so one gets a lovely bouquet by the second day - by the third the flowers are dying off.



1 comment:

  1. Great blog, beautiful photos and articles. Very informative. Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work. Rick

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