Brunsvigia josephinae

Plant Characteristics

Habit		bulbous
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Features:	✓	deciduous, flowers

Scientific Names

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Brunsvigia josephinae, commonly called Josephine's lily, Candelabra lily, is a deciduous, subtropical species of Brunsvigia originating from South Africa. It is marked by deep pink to red leaves which are about 12 to 15 inches long. It flourishes in medium humidity, at temperatures between 50 and 75°F (10 to 24°C). It shoots up from bulbs in March and April, and the leaves develop later. These bulbs can take 12 years to settle before they flower, but they flower annually once established.

B. josephinae is about 0.65 m tall when flowering. Its bulbs are some 200 mm in diameter and usually exposed. Leaves appear only in winter; they are blueish grey and typically range from 8-20 leaves per plant. Dark red, tubular flowers appear in late summer to autumn; they are 15 mm long atop stalks approximately 650 mm long, with 30-40 flowers per plant. Plants may take as long as 14 years to mature from seeds.

The lily was named for Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napolean's empress.

Read about Brunsvigia josephinae in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Brunsvigia josephinae, Ker. Bulb 5-6 in. thick: Lvs. 8-10, strap-shaped, glaucous or greenish, thick, closely ribbed, 2-3 ft. long, l½-2 in. broad: scape 1 in. thick, 1½ ft. long; fls. 20-30, rarely 50-60, in an umbel; pedicels ½-1ft. long: caps, smaller than in B. gigantea, less conical and less strongly angled. B.M. 2578. F.S. 4:322.—Named after the Empress Josephine, who purchased the original bulb after it flowered at Malmaison. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

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