Yesterday evening at about half past six I was out mountain biking and as I headed down a steep hill on Lomond, with the beautiful Kraaibosch dam below, a flash of red caught my eye. Having made a sudden stop and heaved my way back up the hill, I came across this beauty….
The flowers of Cyrtanthus carneus can grow to as high as 1m tall. They flower at the driest time of the year, growing from food stored by the plant in its underground bulb. This species of Cyrtanthus grows in coastal areas between Kleinmond and Mossel Bay and has been classified as Near threatened in the latest Red Data assessment of SA plants. The site where I found it was an area recently cleared of alien vegetation by Lomond staff.
Its great to know that this species is safe and flourishing on Lomond within the Walker Bay Fynbos Conservancy (www.fynbos.co.za).
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