Bush Lily
Clivia miniata
Clivia, Natal Lily, September Lily, St. John's Lily, Boslelie (Afr.), Umayime (Zulu)
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This is the plant we all know as Clivia. Pretty orange trumpet-shaped flowers during spring on a long flowering stalk. Easily cultivated and very rewarding with a striking display of flowers when they bloom. It is also the most frequently hybridized Clivia and the plant we often have in our homes and see in garden centres. Many hybrids have been registered! The natural yellow form is known as Clivia miniata var. citrina.
ZA Distribution: Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga.
Related Plants
Planning
Difficulty
Moderate
Flowering time
Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring
Fruiting time
Autumn, Winter, Spring
Harvesting
Seeds can be harvested by removing them out of the berries as soon as the berry is mature(colored red or yellow) and starts to soften. The seeds should be washed with water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid.
Propagation
Seed
Harvest seed from the berries when they turn red. Sow fresh seed immediately without allowing the seed to dry. Cover with a thin layer of soil and keep moist.
Suckers
Large clumps can be split up using two forks to lever them apart or individual plants can be removed using a clean, sharp spade.
Suckers
Do not remove the suckers too soon! Wait until they have developed roots(at least two years).
Division
Large clumps can be split up using two forks to lever them apart or individual plants can be removed using a clean, sharp spade.
Special features
Drought resistant
Watering can be greatly reduced during the winter months, when the plants are at rest.
Pot plant
They should be grown in a well drained potting medium which has plenty of compost added.
Attractive leaves
Dark green, strap-shaped leaves sometimes with variegated stripes on them.
Attractive fruits
Attracts birds
Attractive flowers
The normal colour of the flowers is orange with a yellowish-white throat, although a colour range from whitish yellow through pale oranges, dark orange and approaching red is known.
Special features
Origin
South Africa, from the Eastern Cape Province to Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Swaziland.
Natural climate
Summer rainfall, forest floor
Environment
Light
Full Sun, Full Shade, Partial Shade, Partial Sun
Soil moisture
Moist
Soil type
Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil PH preference
Alkaline, Neutral, Acid
Frost hardiness
Tender
Uses
Medicinal
Used in traditional medicine
Personality
Family
Amaryllidaceae
Flower colour
Orange, Yellow
Scent
Mild
Problems
Aphids, Lily borer, Mealy bug, Red spider mite, Slugs, and Snails, Snout beetle.
Related Problems
Companion plants
Credits
Clivia miniata
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by Alice Aubrey, Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden, August 2001 (Copyright South African National Biodiversity Institute, South Africa)