Ferraria divaricata

Ferraria divaricata, commonly known in Afrikaans as the geel spinnekopblom (yellow spider flower), grows to heights around 45 cm.

The above-ground parts are deciduous, while a new corm is formed annually on top of the old one, a common occurrence in some plants of the Iridaceae family.

The species distribution near the west coasts of the Northern Cape and Western Cape, ranging from Komaggas in Namaqualand to the Cape Flats, inland as far as Vanrhynsdorp.

The habitat is sandy soil in semi-arid conditions, often near the west coast where it experiences low winter rainfall and hot dry summers. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Manning and Goldblatt, 1996; http://redlist.sanbi.org).