Veltheimia capensis (L.) Redouté

Bulb ovoid with a flattened base, forming a long neck; scales thin. Leaves rosulate, about 10, lanceolate from a clasping base, attenuated in upper half, soft, slightly fleshy in texture, glaucous green, apex with a short mucro; margin wavy. Inflorescence a central cylindrical many-flowered raceme overtopping the leaves; scape terete, mottled with purple; bracts 2 to each flower, one below it and a smaller one situated laterally, caducous; pedicels up to 5 mm in fruit, recurved, decurrent on the rhachis. Flowers pale pink, cylindrical, slightly bent in the middle; tube 2-2.5 cm long, 5 mm broad; lobes rounded, 2 mm long, imbricate. Stamens protruding shortly from the mouth; filaments inserted about the middle of the tube, decurrent, anthers basifixed. Ovary ovoid, with 2 nearly collateral ovules in the centre of each cell; style filiform, ultimately exserted, stigma apical, minute, penicillate. Fruit a membranous, inflated, trisulcate capsule, green suffused with red, rounded in outline, 4 cm in diam.; seed pearshaped, black, 8 mm long, verrucose.

Can be grown by seedlings.