Lachenalia species starting with A are found on this page.
Lachenalia B-C - Lachenalia Species D-I - Lachenalia J-N - Lachenalia O-P - Lachenalia R-T - Lachenalia U-Z - Polyxena - Lachenalia index
Lachenalia alba grows in clay soils in renosterveld from Nieuwoudtville to Calvinia. It has two spear shaped leaves and white flowers with short pedicels. The first two photos below were taken September 2006 near Nieuwoudtville. The last picture of the flowers is of a cultivated plant. Photos by Mary Sue Ittner.
Lachenalia algoensis Schonl. Possibly a species for the collector as the flowers would not be considered by most as very outstanding being largely green shading to almost white at the base. The flowers are erect and have very short pedicels making a fairly tight flower spike. For me the flowering period only lasts from late August through September, short by comparison with many other species. For the collector it certainly has a charm that makes it worth growing. Description from Don Journet
Lachenalia aloides is a species with many varieties found on granite and sandstone outcrops in the Northwest and Southwest Cape.
Lachenalia aloides 'Pearsonii' is a named cultivar of this species. The first photo below was taken by Doug Westfall. The second photo by Bob Rutemoeller is of a plant purchased at Trader Joes (Santa Rosa, California) growing in a tiny pot in pure peat. The second year all the bulbs split and there were quite a lot of blooming stalks. The photo is from this second year. Lauw de Jager thinks it looks like the cultivar 'Pearsonii'. It's obviously some form of Lachenalia aloides.
Lachenalia aloides var. is what Gordon Summerfield calls a very unusually marked one from Pikentenberg. Photo by Bob Rutemoeller. Another form from Gordon Summerfield photographed by Mary Sue Ittner is shown in bloom in the second photo. A third photo from Colin Davis labeled Lachenalia tricolor which is a synonym for Lachenalia aloides var. aloides appears to be another unclassified form of this species.
Lachenalia aloides var. aloides, syn. Lachenalia tricolor has yellow flowers with reddish-orange tips and bright green gibbosities. Photo by Bill Dijk.
Lachenalia aloides var. aurea has two leaves that can be plain or spotted and golden-yellow flowers. This is a long blooming variety and this one was grown from wild seed collected near Paarl. The first photo below of it was taken by Jana Ulmer.The next two photos by Mary Sue Ittner show the flowers and the leaves. The fourth photo by Nhu Nguyen shows a dramatic display of orange! The last photo was taken in habitat near Bainskloof by Andrew Harvie.
Lachenalia aloides var. quadricolor is found in humus-rich crevices in granite outcrops in the western Cape. It has distinctive four colored flowers that are reddish orange at the base shading to yellow with bright green gibbosities and purplish-maroon tips. This is an early flowering species blooming in the winter. The first photo below from Kristina Van Wert is from the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens bulb collection. The second was taken by Mary Sue Ittner in Diana Chapman’s greenhouse and the third is from Alan Horstmann. The last photo shows leaf cuttings with bulbils formed at the base by Colin Davis. Propagation of Lachenalia is quite productive with this method, yielding over 25 bulbils in this instance using less than 2 leaves.
Lachenalia aloides var. vanzyliae has one or two variable leaves, sometimes unmarked, but often marked purplish-brown on the upper surface. Outer flowers are pale blue to white with green or yellow-green gibbosities. The inner segments are yellow-green with white margins. Note from Don Journet: "It certainly causes visitors to comment at the unusual colour combinations. Cultivation requirements are similar to the rest of the group. If it is not repotted and fed every few years I find the plants become crowded and stunted and produce small flower spikes. Flowering times for me have been in the range from the fourth week in August to first week in November." Photos 1 and 2 by Mary Sue Ittner, Photo 3 by Colin Davis.
Lachenalia angelica is a small species from the West Coast. It has a single hairy leaf and white campanulate flowers with green gibbosities. Photo by Rod Saunders from Silverhill Seeds.
Lachenalia arbuthnotiae W. F. Barker This species flowers from late August through to early November with showy yellow flowers that turn a dull red as they age. The spike is quite dense and generally longer than many, the flowers are upwards of horizontal with a pedicel that is so short the flowers almost clasp the rachis. With the added attraction of scented flowers this species would have to be regarded as one of the most desirable in collections. As well as the yellow flowered form I have one that has almost cream flowers which also turn dull red on aging. Description by Don Journet. Photo by Alan Horstmann.
Lachenalia attenuata was an offering from Mark Mazer to the BX. I really liked the leaves on this one. The flowers are more subtle and I found difficult to photograph as well. The first four photos by Mary Sue Ittner and the last from Alan Horstmann. Only the larger bulb in the fourth photograph is this species as only one has survived.
Lachenalia B-C - Lachenalia Species D-I - Lachenalia J-N - Lachenalia O-P - Lachenalia R-T - Lachenalia U-Z - Polyxena - Lachenalia index