The striking Cyrtanthus falcatus from South Africa puts on an impressive display of colorful blooms each spring.  The flowers of this Amaryllis relative face downward due to a curious bend in the flower stem, which resembles an umbrella handle.  The blooms are surprisingly large for Cyrtanthus species, and have an array of pastel shades of orange and yellow.  This is an excellent bulb that is easy to grow if given the right conditions.

It makes a large bulb that is shaped somewhat like a bowling pin, which grows half exposed above the soil line.  It goes dormant each winter and then grows from spring through autumn, typically making 4 strap-like leaves which are glossy.  The flower stem emerges around the same time as the leaves in spring.  The burgundy flower stem is about a foot tall, and contains about 8-10 blooms, each 2 inches long.  This species may be cross-bred with some other Cyrtanthus species to create interesting new hybrids!

From spring through autumn, it grows best in mild to warm temperatures, and cool nights.  It can tolerate hotter conditions provided that nights are cool.  I suspect that it might not thrive if nights are warm (above 65°F/18°C).  During winter, the dormant bulb should be protected from frost and kept relatively dry.  It prefers filtered sun or morning sun, with protection from strong afternoon sun.  It grows well in a 1 gallon (4 liter) pot in a fast-draining soil mix.  A typical mix is 1 part pumice rock, 2 parts coarse sand, and 1 part compost or coco fiber.  Keep the soil evenly moist during the growing season, and relative dry during dormancy.  It is rarely bothered by pests.

Photo #2 used with permission of Kenpei

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Germinating the seeds