Wachendorfia thyrsiflora

Wachendorfia thyrsiflora is a strong growing, evergreen, rhizomatous perennial, commonly known as redroot or bloodroot. The plant grows fan-like tufts of pleated fibrous and hairless leaves from the underground red rhizome.

A large, erect, sturdy and hairy flower stalk of up to 1,2 m tall appears around the end of winter. It bears a cylindrical panicle of golden-yellow, six-tepalled flowers and three equal stamens. There are sometimes (not always) small brown markings on the upper tepals, although some of the literature states that these are on the lower tepals. The blooming season of this plant is spring and early summer.

The species distribution is in the Western Cape from the Cape Peninsula northwards to Clanwilliam and eastwards coastally to the Easter Cape as far as Humansdorp.  

The habitat is marshes, water rich kloofs and stream banks. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Manning, 2009; Bean and Johns, 2005; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).