Haemanthus crispus leaves

Haemanthus crispus is a winter growing, deciduous, bulbous geophyte reaching heights from 4 cm to 11 cm. The underground, globose bulb covered in a thin, brown, papery layer is about 5 cm in diameter, its yellow-white scales unequal.

Two long, narrow, oblong leaves grow annually opposite each other. They are erect, angled or spreading next to the flower stalk, appearing after the flowers. Deeply channelled and sometimes red-edged, the leaf margins are conspicuously wavy or crisped, sometimes approaching the regularity of sine waves, particularly in their lower parts. The specific name, crispus (Latin) means curled or crinkled, referring to the leaf margin undulations. Leaf dimensions are about 12 cm long and 2 cm wide. The blade is leathery, its upper surface glaucous or dark green, unmarked and rarely sparsely hairy. The lower, convex surface is purple-blotched or barred, a false midrib notable.

The smooth, annual flower scape is red, red-brown or pink, from 3 cm to 9 cm long. Four or five scarlet, red or variously pink spathe bracts, narrowly to broadly spoon-shaped or almost oblong and fleshy are present at the top of the scape. The compact inflorescence measures about 4 cm across, comprising numerous small flowers. The pink-lilac to almost red flowers are swollen at the perianth bases, the tepals linear. Flowering happens from late summer to autumn.

H. crispus is one of the western, arid region members of the genus occurring in the west of the Northern Cape and the northwest of the Western Cape. This is a part of Namaqualand, from Kosies in the Richtersveld to around Clanwilliam.

The plants grow on sandy or stony flats in the open, often in stands of variable size, as in the photo. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Duncan, et al, 2016; Williamson, 2010; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Wikipedia; http://redlist.sanbi.org).