Brunsvigia radulosa

Flowering in rocky grassland while still leafless in January, this Brunsvigia radulosa umbel is extending its bloomtime: The older, lower flowers that opened first are gone, their ovaries swollen or swelling into triangular, club-shaped fruits on elongated pedicels, while later flowers are still reaching their peak. The plant is commonly known as the candelabra flower, sometimes the eastern candelabra. It reaches 80 cm in height when flowering.

Such a hemispherical umbel of B. radulosa bears from 30 to 75 flowers, becoming from 48 cm to 72 cm in diameter. The inflorescence may reach a height of 80 cm.

The species distribution is widespread, mainly in the eastern and central South African grassland. The only province in which the species is not recorded is Limpopo. The plants are also found in Lesotho, Swaziland and southern Botswana.

The habitat is open grassland in the summer rainfall region, sometimes in rocky places. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Duncan, et al, 2016; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; www.redlist.sanbi.org).