Hesperantha coccinea

Hesperantha coccinea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Hesperantha
Species: H. coccinea
Binomial name
Hesperantha coccinea

Hesperantha coccinea (kaffir lily,[1] river lily or crimson flag; syn. Schizostylis coccinea Backh. & Harv.) is a flowering plant in the family Iridaceae, native to Southern Africa and Zimbabwe.

It is a semievergreen perennial growing to 60 cm (24 in) tall, with slender lanceolate leaves up to 40 cm (16 in) long and 1 cm (0.4 in) broad. The flowers are red, occasionally pink or white, 30–35 mm long, with six petals; they are produced four to ten alternately on a spike in late summer to autumn.

The Latin specific epithet coccinea means “bright red”.[2]

Cultivation and uses

It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens for its flowers, used in floristry. It is only hardy to between −5 to −10 °C (23 to 14 °F); in colder regions it is grown under glass.[3] It is sometimes known in cultivation as "Kaffir lily". "Kaffir" is considered an offensive ethnic slur in parts of Africa.

Numerous cultivars are available, of which the following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:-[4]

  1. ↑ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ↑ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 184533731X.
  3. ↑ Huxley, A., ed. (1992), New RHS Dictionary of Gardening, London: Macmillan, ISBN 978-0-333-77018-4
  4. ↑ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 48. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Hesperantha coccinea 'Jennifer'". Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  6. ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Hesperantha coccinea 'Major'". Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Hesperantha coccinea 'Sunrise'". Retrieved 3 June 2013.


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