Sandersonia is a genus with a single species, Sandersonia aurantiaca, that is a member of the Colchicaceae family and endemic to South Africa. It grows in damp grassland, on forests margins in the eastern areas of South Africa. Referred to as Christmas bells since that is when it blooms in the southern hemisphere or Chinese Lantern because of the orange flowers, this has become a popular flower for the cut flower business and many are grown in New Zealand.
It can be brought into flower at different times than its normal summer flowering by allowing it to go dormant and then watering it several months before you want it to bloom. It needs a deep container and something to climb on.
Sandersonias are extremely susceptible to a whole range of diseases which make them rot in damp humid conditions. Growers are advised to lift them every year and replant them into sterile soil. They may be protected by treating them with a fungicide.
The one in this picture is grown in a greenhouse in coastal Northern California, kept dry in winter and getting extra heat and regular water in summer. The first photo was taken by Bob Rutemoeller. The next photos taken by Mary Sue Ittner show plants in bloom in July 2005 and a blooming rhizome with smaller offsets as the rhizome starts into growth in the spring. The rhizome is on a grid of 1 cm squares.
Here is a picture of sandersonia growing in the wild, where it was thriving near a mountain stream in the foothills of the Drakensberg. Several dozen plants were in a colony spread over ~100 sq. meters. Photo taken by Roy Herold at Giant's Castle, Kwa Zulu-Natal Province, in December, 2006.
Return to the PBS wiki Photographs And Information page