Cyrtanthus species E-J are found on this wiki page
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Cyrtanthus elatus Previously known as Vallota speciosa aka as George Lily, Scarborough lily, this is one of the most striking members of the genus and now grown world-wide for its cut flowers. Complaints are often heard that this species flowers very erratically in cultivation, but some forms are just naturally more floriferous than others. The form usually cultivated by growers, reproduces vegetative at a sometimes alarmingly rapid rate-- the clumps become overcrowded very quickly and if they are not lifted, split up and replanted on a very regular basis, flowering can cease. They prefer full sun rather than shade and flower mainly in summer. The first photo by Doug Westfall. The most cultivated colour is scarlet, but now pink and white forms are available. The second photo by Bill Dijk is of a white one. The third photo shows a variety that Bill is calling var. delicata. This does not seem to be a published name or accepted variety, so is perhaps a garden cultivar that is being grown around the world. The last two photos were taken by Cameron McMaster, Outeniqua Pass, southern Cape.
Cyrtanthus epiphyticus is a very attractive species from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, with pendulous reddish-orange flowers in spring, September-October in the wild. Photo by Bill Dijk. The flower tube is narrow and curved and the lobes roundish with blunt recurved tips. This species is epiphytic and found on trees, boulders and in rock crevices in moist conditions. Photos by Bill Dijk, Mary Sue Ittner, Bob Rutemoeller, and Alessandro Marinello.
Photos by Mary Sue Ittner and Bob Rutemoeller taken January 2010 at Maclear and Naude's Nek.
Cyrtanthus eucallus is an evergreen, floriferous, orange-flowering species. It requires a shady position. It is summer flowering, an easy species, and ideal container plant. Photos by Bill Dijk.
Cyrtanthus falcatus is a beautiful trouble-free plant from KwaZulu-Natal. The "shepherd's crook" inflorescence emerges without warning in late spring and early summer. It is red or pinkish flushed green and is soon followed by the broad bright green foliage. This is a remarkably tough species which easily withstand moisture during its winter dormant period. Photo #1 by Rob Hamilton. Photo #2-3 from Mary Sue Ittner of the first bloom of plants grown from seed and the leaves of plants shown in the bulb house at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Photo #4 from Alan Horstmann. Photo #5 from Byron Amerson shows 2-month-old seedlings.
Cyrtanthus fergusoniae is a deciduous or evergreen species with bright red tubular flowers. This is not an easy plant to maintain over an extended period, needing much less water in summer. It is found in the wild in the Agulhas Plain. It grows on loam or sandy soil, usually on limestone, and flowers in summer. Photo by Cameron McMaster.
Cyrtanthus flavus is an Eastern Cape species that grows in marshes. Photo by Cameron McMaster.
Cyrtanthus galpinii is a dwarf, pink or orange flowering plant that resembles Cyrtanthus sanguineus and is very beautiful. It is dormant in winter and flowers in August-September in its native habitat.
Cyrtanthus glaucophyllus see Cyrtanthus sanguineus
Cyrtanthus guthrieae This extremely rare species with its bright red flowers that reflect a golden sheen in the sun is not too difficult to grow and with constant attention to avoid over-watering, it flowers faithfully every March-April in the Southern Hemisphere. Dormant in summer, but may occasionally be evergreen. This species is native to the lower sandstone slopes in the southwest Cape, flowering after fires. It is one of the rarest in South Africa, occurring in very localised spots in fynbos on the lower southern slopes of Soetmuisberg near Bredasdorp. We counted only 15 blooms when we visited the site to obtain these pictures this year. It is known locally as the Bredasdorp lily and it occurs nowhere else in South Africa. Photos by Cameron McMaster showing it in habitat and increasingly closer. The last is another close-up showing it flowering next to some large rocks.
Cyrtanthus helictus This species occurs in sandy soil in sparse, dry grassland in the Eastern Cape. It has tiny tightly corkscrew leaves and trumpet-shaped white flowers with pink candy stripes and flowers in October in the wild. The first three photos by Cameron McMaster, including the last one of seed. The final picture was taken by Bill Dijk.
Cyrtanthus herrei is an evergreen plant that occurs in the arid Richtersveld in the far north-western corner of the Northern Cape. The decorative evergreen, glaucous foliage is the main attraction, although the umbels of greenish-orange, pendulous flowers in late summer rival any display by any other species. The huge bulb should be planted with the neck and about two-third of the bulb above ground level. Photos 1-2 by Bill Dijk. The last photo was taken by Mary Sue Ittner in the bulb house at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and shows the leaves.
Cyrtanthus huttonii is an Eastern Cape endemic with large, almost iridescent dark orange blooms and purple bracts. It is found in moist crevices along mountain streams and waterfalls or cliffs where there is underlying water for its roots. It flowers in mid summer, but it difficult to grow as its habitat is almost impossible to reproduce. Photos 1-3 by Cameron McMaster of the flowers and the habitat. The last photo was taken by Bob Rutemoeller on Gaika's Kop January 2010.
Much of the information about these species and how to grow them furnished by Bill Dijk and Cameron McMaster.
Cyrtanthus Hybrids - Cyrtanthus A-C - Cyrtanthus K-O - Cyrtanthus P-Z - Cyrtanthus index