Cormous, perennial, herb, 0.2-0.8(-1) m high, with twisted leaf blades. Fl. pink, Aug to Nov. Grey or white sand, loam.
General Biology. Growth form. Geophyte. Life form. Annually renewed corm, some dormancy between fire. Reproduction. Primarily seed, occasionally offsets. Dispersal. Wind. Seedbank persistence. Medium, 1-5 years. Fire response. Generally survives fire. Fire can bring corms out of dormancy and stimulate prolific flowering.
Notes. Endangered in South Africa. As it flowers particularly well following fire, seedling recruitment in the seasons following fire could be very high.
Additional information. Origin. South Africa. History of use/introduction. Garden escape.
Suggested method of management and control. Wipe individual leaves with glyphosate 10 % or spray dense infestations in degraded areas with 1% glyphosate just on flowering at corm exhaustion. Read the manufacturers' labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. For further information consult the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to determine the status of permits for your situation or state.
Calendar Type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dormant | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||||
Active Growth | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||||
Flowering | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||||
Fruiting | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||||
Optimum Treatment | Y | Y | Y |
Legend: Y = Yes, regularly, O = Occasionally, U = Uncertain, referred by others but not confirmed.