Hesperantha is a cormous genus in the Iridaceae family from southern and tropical Africa. Species L-P are found on this wiki page. See the links below for information about this genus and other species.
Hesperantha species A-C – Hesperantha species D-J – Hesperantha species Q-Z – Hesperantha index
Hesperantha latifolia is a species from Namaqualand with bright pink long tubed flowers that are open during the day. This species is pollinated by long proboscid flies. Photos below from Mary Sue Ittner are of plants grown from seed and blooming in Northern California in February and of corms on a 1 cm. grid.
Photos taken in Namaqualand by Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner. The last one also features Romulea citrina.
Hesperantha longituba grows in grassland and karroid bush in the summer rainfall areas (the Free State to the southern Cape). It is a spring flowering species with sword-shaped leaves and white flowers, often pink on the outside, that open in the late afternoon. Photos taken by Cameron McMaster, including the last taken near Somerset East in the Eastern Cape.
Hesperantha luticola is found on stony flats in seasonal pools or watercourses in the Roggeveld. Plants grow to 10 cm. high and have only one or two flowers per spike. The flowers are white with dark purple blotches at the tepal base. Plants flower in winter, are open during the day, and pollinated by bees. Photos from Rod Saunders and Mary Wise.
Hesperantha marlothii has a bell-shaped corm with a flat base. It grows in rocky areas of the Roggeveld and in the Northwest Cape. This species has three to six creamy fragrant (sweet with a clove component) flowers with a brown or red reverse. The flowers have a recurved tube and bloom on a spike late winter early spring and are pollinated by moths. Photos taken late in the day in the Komsberg by Bob Rutemoeller and Mary Sue Ittner September 2006. The third photo was taken by Cameron McMaster near Middlepos.
Hesperantha pauciflora has pink to purple, rarely yellow, unscented flowers that open in the afternoon, closing by evening. This species is found in the Northwest Cape in sandy soils where it blooms late winter to spring. It is pollinated by bees, short probscid flies, and beetles. Photos of flower in cultivation blooming in Northern California April 2004 and of corms on a 1 cm. grid. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner
The photos below were taken near Nieuwoudtville by Mary Sue Ittner. The first photo shows the species blooming in the middle of a mass of Romulea sabulosa August 2001. In the last photo, a forming seed pod can be seen.
Photos below from Alan Horstmann and Mary Sue Ittner of plants with yellow flowers.
Hesperantha pilosa grows on sandstone soils in winter rainfall areas and flowers late winter into spring. Flowers can be white opening in the evening and sweetly scented to acrid musk scented. Leaves are hairy. This species is pollinated both by bees and moths. The first two photos by Mary Sue Ittner of a plant grown from seed with flowers that are purple, almost pink depending on the light, opening in the day with attractive markings on the back. The third photo shows the corms on a 1 cm. grid. The final photo from Cameron McMaster shows one of the white flowered forms. It was taken near Napier in the Overberg.
Hesperantha pulchra is a high altitude species that grows in full sun in open grassland on the high slopes of the Amatola Mountains and the surrounding hills. This species has odorless pink flowers open during the day. It flowers in autumn. Photos taken by Cameron McMaster in the Eastern Cape.
Hesperantha species A-C – Hesperantha species D-J – Hesperantha species Q-Z – Hesperantha index