Gethyllis

Gethyllis afra

This is totally dormant over the summer, when it must NOT receive any water at all. When growth restarts in Autumn the naturally small bulbs make thin, spreading, spiralled leaves covered in gorgeous, soft, spreading hairs and down. These reach from 10-15cm in length.

I mid winter one or two highly perfumed, white, cup-shaped flowers appear. These are thinly lined with purple on the exterior. The fragrance is wonderful and the thin, yellow-green to pinkish fruits which follow are equally strongly perfumed later on.

In its native South Africa, the fruits are collected to make Kukumakranka brandy as a remedy for colic and indigestion. They also have a traditional use for perfuming linen drawers and rooms.

This is a native of the dry, semi-desert conditions of the Cape interior, in areas such as the Richtersveld. Rarely seen in cultivation and not one for beginners. It needs a totally dry summer, fertile but exceedingly well-drained soil, full sun and a cautious hand with the watering can, under glass.

Gethyllis ciliaris

A very attractive plant, with masses of leaves, spiralled around their length and then spirally arranged. These are covered in long white silky hairs on both sides.

The flowers are large, pure glistening white and very strongly fragrant. With age they develop an attractive blushing towards their petal tips.

As with all members of this genus very sharp drainage in an infertile, mineral soil is best.

Propagated from seed of a scarce, dwarf form with especially tightly-packed clusters of tightly spiralled, greyish-green leaves. In the wild this plant has a small distribution range in the western Cape.

The last time we had this it sold out within weeks, this year we have managed to beg a few more specimen bulbs from our original grower but we have very few available.

Gethyllis grandiflora

This has bulbs which, in the wild, lie dormant below the soil with just a surface crown of dead leaf-remains to betray their presence.

When hit by rains they very suddenly make large, thick-textured, pure white flowers with a strong and delicious scent. The flowers are followed by masses of very thin leaves like green tufted brushes. Once their growth is finished and the drought returns, they return to dormancy and their wait for the next rainy season.

Photograph © Nobukatsu Matsuyama, used with permission.

Gethyllis setosa

This has very hairy leaves borne above the ground on a short stem (this species has no prostrate leaves). These are spade-shaped leaves and some 1.5cm wide by about 4.5cm long. The leaves and short stem are totally covered in long, highly conspicuous, white bristles and hairs. The appearance is really quite remarkable. The leaves gather dew to help sustain the plant in its arid environment.

Whilst I have waxed lyrical about the leaves, the flowers are even more impressive, stunning, very fragrant crystalline white starry chalices, which are borne in sequence.

This species although one of the rarest, is also perhaps the most impressive of all. Known only from a small area of Cape Province in S.Africa.

An excellent, pot subject for a sand based compost under glass in the UK, dry when dormant.

Tender and Greenhouse bulbs :-

A listing of all of the tender genera that we grow