Scadoxus puniceus (L.) Friis & Nordal

Herb, up to 75 cm high, with a short but stout rhizomateous corm carrying roots in the lower part and fleshy old leaf bases forming a bulb at the top, diameter of corm and bulb 3-8 cm. Leaves 2-7, forming a 5-50 cm long false stem by their sheathing parts, enclosed in their lowermost part by the bulb scales and surrounded by leaves with reduced lamina (cataphylls). Non-sheathing part of petioles shorter than 10 cm. Lamina lanceolate to ovate, most often broadest near or just below the middle, 15-30 cm long and 5-15 cm broad, apex acute to acuminate, base attenuating into the very short, non-sheathing part of the petiole; midrib prominent below, with 9-15 nerves on each side in the lamina; margin entire, sometimes undulated. Peduncle (15-)20-40(-75) cm long, supported by the lowermost cataphylls. Leaves often produced some time after the anthesis. False stem and peduncle spotted with brown-red to dark violet, the spots often fusing into a continuous dark colouring on the upper part of the cataphylls. Inflorescence a dense conical or, rarely, semiglobose umbel, 3-10 cm in diameter, consisting of (20-)30 to more than 100 flowers, surrounded by 5-8(-11) large involucral bracts which remain intact and more or less erect until at least the early fruiting stage. Involucral bracts often variable in shape and size within the same inflorescence (some narrow ones are usually present inside the outer, broader ones), (2.5-)3-8.5 cm long, equalling or exceeding the perianth segments, but rarely much longer than the segments, and with the largest width (0.7-)1.0-3.5 (-4.0) cm. The shape varies from lanceolate, ovate, obovate, spathulate, or rhomboid to almost reniform. The apex may vary from rounded, obtuse, acute, or acuminate to broadly emarginate. The colour varies from green to red, brown or dark violet, and is rarely uniform but usually darker towards the apex of the bracts. The intensity of colouring is correlated with that of the cataphylls. Ephemeral, filiform, hyaline bracts are present between the flowers. Pedicels may vary from green to red in colour, and are 1.0-2.5(-3.5) cm long at anthesis. Ovary green, subglobose, 0.2-0.4 cm long. Perianth tube 0.3-1.2 cm long. Perianth segments erect to somewhat patent, 1.3-2.7 cm long and 0.7-2.0(-2.5) mm broad, usually 3-nerved, but sometimes 1-nerved and rarely 5-nerved. The number of nerves occasionally varies within the same inflorescence. Filaments filiform, 1.5-3.5 cm long at anthesis, exceeding the perianth segments; their length much depending on stage. Anthers versatile, 1-3 mm long, yellow to red. Style when ripe a few mm longer than the filaments. Perianth colour varies from yellow-green, greenish-pink, pink, vermillion to scarlet. Filaments often darker in colour than the perianth. Fruit a red, few-seeded berry, 0.5-1.0 cm in diameter. Pedicels elongating in fruiting stage. South of the Equator S. puniceus flowers from September to January, i.e. in the rainy season. In Ethiopia flowering specimens have been collected from March to July, i.e. early in the rainy season.

It is a tropical plant. It is often near streams and near swamps.

The fruit are eaten raw.