Haemanthus albiflos
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Haemanthus albiflos with inflorescences . |
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| Haemanthus albiflos | ||||||||||||
| Jacq. |
The Haemanthus albiflos (often also called "elephant ear" ) is a plant species in the genus blood flowers ( Haemanthus ) from the family of the Amaryllis plants (Amaryllidaceae).
The botanical name refers to the exceptionally white flowers of the species, while red flowers predominate in the genus.
description
The species forms perennial , evergreen and slightly succulent , herbaceous plants that reach heights of 20 to 30 cm. All parts of the plant contain a red juice. The leaves sprout in two rows from a semi-above-ground and green onion up to 8 cm in diameter. The fleshy leaves, up to 25 × 10 cm in size, are quite variable. Their color varies from light to dark to gray-green, sometimes with yellowish spots on the upper side of the leaf. Most of the leaves are glabrous and dull, but sometimes they are shiny or hairy.
The inflorescence appears on a hollow stalk up to 25 cm high directly above a whorl of about 2 cm long, greenish white bracts . It is a dense umbel about 3 to 5 cm in diameter that contains numerous small individual flowers . The many, up to 5 cm long, white stamens with bright yellow to orange anthers give the entire inflorescence the shape of a brush . The fleshy berries turn bright orange to red when ripe and give off a noticeably musty smell .
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 16.
distribution
The natural range of the species extends in South Africa from the Western Cape via the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal at altitudes of about 100 to 800 m above sea level. The plants are there in clumps in very loose, but never completely drying soils in the shade of the accompanying vegetation.
cultivation
The Haemanthus albiflos is an easy-to-care-for but rare ornamental plant that is mostly kept as a houseplant in Central Europe . The plants are not very susceptible to pests and diseases , but cannot tolerate frost , persistent waterlogging and direct sunlight . They are therefore ideal plants for a rather warm and shady place such as in the second row on a window sill facing east or west. A summer stay outdoors in a shady place in the garden or on a shady balcony is usually answered with strong growth. Planted freely in subtropical areas or in a heated greenhouse , the plants form dense clumps after a few years, just like in their natural habitat.
The propagation can take place vegetatively via brood bulbs or leaf cuttings , or generatively via seeds available in specialist shops .
ingredients
Some ingredients make the plant interesting as a possible source for phytopharmaceuticals . These include various isoquinoline alkaloids , such as B. homolycorin or albomaculin
literature
- D. Snijman: A revision of the genus Haemanthus , Journal of South African Botany Suppl. Vol. 12. National Botanical Institute, Cape Town, 1984
- GD Duncan: Haemanthus in NM Du Plessis & GD Duncan: Bulbous Plants of Southern Africa , 1989
- E. Pooley: A Field Guide to Wildflowers: Kwazulu-Natal and the Eastern Region , Natal Flora Publications Trust, 1998
- GD Duncan: Grow Bulbs , Kirstenbosch Gardening Series, National Botanical Institute, Cape Town, 2000
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Tropicos
- ↑ Husson GP, Vilagines P, Sarrette B, Vilagines R: Study of antiviral action of total alkaloids from Haemanthus albiflos. , Ann Pharm Fr. 1994; 52 (6): 311-22, French, PMID 7864531
- ↑ Husson GP, Vilaginès P, Sarrette B, Vilaginès R: Antiviral effect of Haemanthus albiflos leaves extract on herpes virus, adenovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus, rotavirus and poliovirus , Ann Pharm Fr. 1991; 49 (1): 40-8, French , PMID 1651069