Bulbine frutescens near Oudtshoorn

A flourishing Bulbine frutescens plant can become quite large over the years. And dense, providing safe havens for veld creepy-crawlies of many descriptions, unless they make it unsafe for each other inside.

The white-flowering form of the plant much seen in the Little Karoo, does not seem to be common throughout the country, the yellow one more widespread and better known.

A perennial herb, the specific name, frutescens, is derived from the Latin word frutex meaning a shrub or bush and -escens, also Latin meaning the process of becoming, referring to the mature plant’s resemblance to a shrub.

Flowering is a floriferous affair just above the mass of narrow, succulent leaves. Each of the numerous racemes has a few open flowers in a batch close together; below them all those done flowering, now fruiting and above them the buds to perform later.

Many satisfying pollinator visits are thus ensured over a long blooming season, if the plant remains unharmed (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Andrew, 2017; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist).