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Strange Red/Black/Yellow Flower near Point Bonita.
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Posted by vilkata (My Page) on Fri, May 12, 06 at 19:30
| At the end of a hike near Point Bonita, I happened to notice a particularly eye catching flower. Having lived in the country for all my life, I was surprised to have never seen it before. I had not seen it on earlier parts of the trail, and only found it in one small patch of just a few flowers each. The flowers were maybe the size of a nickel.
What is this flower? Is it common? It is certainly one of the most eye catching flowers I have seen.
http://s2.simpload.com/051244651a1f6affa.jpeg
---Vil. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Strange Red/Black/Yellow Flower near Point Bonita.
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| Looks like a Sparaxis. Definitely not native. |
RE: Strange Red/Black/Yellow Flower near Point Bonita.
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here it is: Sparaxis tricolor! |
RE: Strange Red/Black/Yellow Flower near Point Bonita.
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| Is Sparaxis Tricolor rare? Lilydude says it is not native, but I have also never seen it in a nursery. I think I would remember those colors, they sort of burn into your memory. ---Vil. |
RE: Strange Red/Black/Yellow Flower near Point Bonita.
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| You can order them as a bulb through many of the bulb companies. They're not particularly rare. wanda |
RE: Strange Red/Black/Yellow Flower near Point Bonita.
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- Posted by catkim San Diego 10/24 (My Page) on
Sat, May 13, 06 at 10:44
| They are from South Africa and can easily naturalize here. |
RE: Strange Red/Black/Yellow Flower near Point Bonita.
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- Posted by socal23 USDA10/Sunset23 (My Page) on
Sat, May 13, 06 at 11:01
| They seed themselves about in my garden (not quite enough to be a pest) and the corms multiply fairly quickly as well. Ryan |
RE: Strange Red/Black/Yellow Flower near Point Bonita.
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- Posted by youreit z9b CA Sunset z8-9 (My Page) on
Sat, May 13, 06 at 11:41
| I couldn't view the image you posted, Vil, but I looked it up on Google. Wow! Something to add to my "want" list. :) Brenda |
RE: Strange Red/Black/Yellow Flower near Point Bonita.
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Yes they are Sporaxis,i bought my bulbs at Armstrong gardens.I love these plants.
Kathi |
RE: Strange Red/Black/Yellow Flower near Point Bonita.
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- Posted by bahia SF Bay Area (My Page) on
Thu, May 25, 06 at 11:26
| This species of Sparaxis, often called the harlequin flower, is just the tip of the iceberg in this genus, they are almost all wonderful, and do so well in coastal California that they can survive in the wild, and naturalize in gardens. As they mostly come from the winter rainfall areas of South Africa, they can be planted out in areas that do not receive irrigation and do just fine. I would also recommend seeking out S. grandiflora, and the Dutch bulb growers are some of the best sources for South African bulbs in general. It is amazing to me that more gardeners don't plant South African bulbs such as Ixia, Sparaxis, species Gladiolus, Romulea, Freesia, Nerine, etc., when they do so much better year after year with minimal care than the hybrid Tulips, which aren't adapted to our mild climate. |
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