Hesperantha coccinea

Plant Characteristics

Habit		herbaceous
Height:	⇕	12 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 12. to 24 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 24.
Width:	⇔	12 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 12. to 24 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 24.
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun, part-sun
Features:	✓	flowers
USDA Zones:		6 to 9
Flower features:	❀	red, pink

Scientific Names

Iridaceae >

Hesperantha >

coccinea >

Hesperantha coccinea (River Lily or Crimson Flag; syn. Schizostylis coccinea Backh. & Harv.) is a flowering plant in the family Iridaceae, native to South Africa and Zimbabwe.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 60 cm tall, with slender lanceolate leaves up to 40 cm long and 1 cm broad. The flowers are red, occasionally pink or white, 30–35 mm long, with six petals; they are produced four to ten alternately on a spike in late summer to autumn.

It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens for its flowers, used in floristry. It is only hardy to between −5 to −10 °C; in colder regions it is grown under glass (Huxley 1992). It used to be known in as "Kaffir Lily".

Read about Hesperantha coccinea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Schizostylis coccinea, Backh. & Harv. Crimson Flag. A winter-blooming tender plant: st. 1-2 ft. high, bearing 2-3 lvs.: basal lvs. 2-3, about 1 1/2 ft. long: fls. bright red, about 2 in. across.— “The species blooms from Oct. to late Dec. and is useful for cut-flowers at this season. It is perfectly hardy in England but of little use here except for indoor use. The roots should be planted out in rich soil in spring about 8 in. apart, and encouraged to make a strong growth. In the fall the plants may be lifted, potted and placed in a cool greenhouse, where they will flower. After flowering they may be stored in a frame until spring, when the fleshy roots will need to be separated (leaving 3-5 buds to each root), and planted out as before.” CH 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 It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article.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.

Gallery

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References

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

External links

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