Clivia
Clivia Kaffir Lily, Fire Lily
An attractive genus of 6 South African species named after Lady Clive, Duchess of Northumberland in 1866, who died in 1868. Her grandfather was the famous Robert Clive of India. Lady Clive was a patron of gardening and the Clivia first flowered in England in her greenhouses.
Clivia is a bulb like plant with fleshy roots and bulb like parts at the base of the leaf stalks. Leaves are dark green, strap-like and evergreen growing up from the basal fleshy roots.
The very showy flowers appear in dense clusters at the top of strong flattened stems. These heads of brightly coloured, large, trumpet or funnel shaped flowers vary in colour from bright red, to red, orange, yellow and almost white tonings (depending upon whether it is a species or cultivar) – some also have green tips to the petals. After flowering dark red berry fruits appear. The seed is viable and if some hybridising has taken place with other forms new plants with different coloured flowers may grow.
The six species of Clivia are somewhat different to each other and they are easily grown if they can be obtained. Three are quite rare and two of these have only recently been indentified and described.
Clivia miniata, Bush Lily or Fire Lily (the most common) is the showiest of the species with large trumpet shaped flowers and is often grown as pot plants in cooler areas and as a ground cover plant under trees in warmer areas. This species has given rise to a number of different coloured cultivars over the years.
They grow as understory plants in dense woodland in their natural habitat. Their tolerance of shade is extraordinary which makes them a valuable plant as a ground cover in dark shade under trees.
Clivia make excellent pot plants as they are evergreen, produce strong flowers and are very easy to care for. Flowering is encouraged by having it in the same pot for several years to become pot bound. This restriction of the roots encourages flowering. Liquid fertiliser and some slow release fertiliser during the spring and summer growing season is useful. They have a natural rest period during the winter.
Ensure the plants are kept in a fairly shaded place and away from moderate to heavy frosts in winter.
Planted in the garden the Clivia are excellent ground covers for sunny and semi shady and dryish places. Soil should be well drained and provide warm growing conditions and plenty of moisture when growing in spring and summer. These plants should not be subject to moderate to hard frosts.
Propagation of Clivia is by division. Larger plants can readily be dug up, carefully divided and replanted. Potted plants can be removed, carefully divided and repotted.
Seedling raised plants take longer to grow and flower but can provide an opportunity to experiment with cross pollination to see if new colours and growth forms may appear. With the variety of colours available today they could be an interesting.
The species
Clivia miniata. Bush Lily, Fire Lily
This is the showiest of the 6 species and the most commonly grown. It produces umbels of large, upright, scarlet, trumpet shaped flowers up to 60 mm wide, with a yellow centre. Its large wide shaped leaves are evergreen, thick and somewhat leathery, dark green and sensitive to frosts at -2°, making it a good plant all year round.
There are a number of cultivars in the world with colour varying from bright scarlet to almost white and a variety of colour combinations.
C miniata var aurea Yellow/lemon
var striula
var grandiflora
var lindenii
var citrina light yellow
Kirstenbosch yellow
In addition plant breeders around the world have undertaken various breeding programmes to develop better quality plants with a wide range of colour and form.
There are a number of specialist clubs, breeders and growers of Clivia in the world including NZ. A list of internet sites for photographs and descriptions is available at the end of this article.
For more information on C. Miniata go to the South African Biodiversity website
C. caulescens. This is a rare plant which is epiphytic (growing in the branch unions of trees) with floppy leaves up to 1 m long. Its narrow funnelled, downward curving flowers are almost 40 mm long, pale red with green tip and yellow protruding stamen.
For more information on C. caulescens go to the South African Biodiversity website
C. gardenii. An upright plant with 10-14 flowers per umbel, reddish orange or yellow in colour curves downwards. It comes from Natal/Transvaal area and was discovered in 1862.
For more information on C. gardenii go to the South African Biodiversity website
C. nobilis. Discovered in 1828 it has 40-60 narrow drooping curved flowers on each umbel, and each flower is red and yellow in colour with green tips. It is endemic to the Cape Province.
For more information on C. nobilis go to the South African Biodiversity website
C. x cyrtanthi flora (C. miniata x C. noblis)
Pale scarlet flowers of this hybrid are in dense umbels, pendulous and narrow funnelled.
C. mirabilis
Recently described and named. It comes from the Northern Cape Province in South Africa. Between 20 and 48 bicoloured flowers are borne on long drooping, orange red pedicels. The flowers are orange-red at the ovary turning yellow towards the tips of the petals which are green. The flower darkens as it opens, and after pollination the whole flower including the ovary is coloured dark orange red.
For more information on C. mirabilis go to the South African Biodiversity website
C. robusta.
Officially describe in 2004 it is the biggest of the Clivias. This species grows up to 1.8 metres high. The leaves are 300-1200 mm long and 30-90 mm wide, 15 - 40 orange-red with green tip pendulous tubular flowers are borne on reddish changing to green pedicels.
For more information on C. robusta go to the South African Biodiversity website
Cultivars
Cross breeding and plant selection have played a large part in developing a wide range of cultivars. Colour and flower size now vary greatly from almost white to dark red with many bicolours. Stronger plants have wider leaves contrast with dainty finer forms. Many have been bred in New Zealand, South Africa and North America. They are grown in many countries around the world.
Visit the following web sites for more information and a gallery of colourful photographs.
http://www.clivia.net.nz/
http://www.clivias.com/
http://www.clivia.co.nz/
http://www.shieldsgardens.com/Clivia/
http://www.cliviasociety.org/
http://www.northamericancliviasociety.org/home.php
http://www.drkeithhammett.co.nz/AboutUs/clivias.htm
http://www.americancliviasociety.org/
An attractive genus of 6 South African species named after Lady Clive, Duchess of Northumberland in 1866, who died in 1868. Her grandfather was the famous Robert Clive of India. Lady Clive was a patron of gardening and the Clivia first flowered in England in her greenhouses.
Clivia is a bulb like plant with fleshy roots and bulb like parts at the base of the leaf stalks. Leaves are dark green, strap-like and evergreen growing up from the basal fleshy roots.
The very showy flowers appear in dense clusters at the top of strong flattened stems. These heads of brightly coloured, large, trumpet or funnel shaped flowers vary in colour from bright red, to red, orange, yellow and almost white tonings (depending upon whether it is a species or cultivar) – some also have green tips to the petals. After flowering dark red berry fruits appear. The seed is viable and if some hybridising has taken place with other forms new plants with different coloured flowers may grow.
The six species of Clivia are somewhat different to each other and they are easily grown if they can be obtained. Three are quite rare and two of these have only recently been indentified and described.
Clivia miniata, Bush Lily or Fire Lily (the most common) is the showiest of the species with large trumpet shaped flowers and is often grown as pot plants in cooler areas and as a ground cover plant under trees in warmer areas. This species has given rise to a number of different coloured cultivars over the years.
They grow as understory plants in dense woodland in their natural habitat. Their tolerance of shade is extraordinary which makes them a valuable plant as a ground cover in dark shade under trees.
Clivia make excellent pot plants as they are evergreen, produce strong flowers and are very easy to care for. Flowering is encouraged by having it in the same pot for several years to become pot bound. This restriction of the roots encourages flowering. Liquid fertiliser and some slow release fertiliser during the spring and summer growing season is useful. They have a natural rest period during the winter.
Ensure the plants are kept in a fairly shaded place and away from moderate to heavy frosts in winter.
Planted in the garden the Clivia are excellent ground covers for sunny and semi shady and dryish places. Soil should be well drained and provide warm growing conditions and plenty of moisture when growing in spring and summer. These plants should not be subject to moderate to hard frosts.
Propagation of Clivia is by division. Larger plants can readily be dug up, carefully divided and replanted. Potted plants can be removed, carefully divided and repotted.
Seedling raised plants take longer to grow and flower but can provide an opportunity to experiment with cross pollination to see if new colours and growth forms may appear. With the variety of colours available today they could be an interesting.
The species
Clivia miniata. Bush Lily, Fire Lily
This is the showiest of the 6 species and the most commonly grown. It produces umbels of large, upright, scarlet, trumpet shaped flowers up to 60 mm wide, with a yellow centre. Its large wide shaped leaves are evergreen, thick and somewhat leathery, dark green and sensitive to frosts at -2°, making it a good plant all year round.
There are a number of cultivars in the world with colour varying from bright scarlet to almost white and a variety of colour combinations.
C miniata var aurea Yellow/lemon
var striula
var grandiflora
var lindenii
var citrina light yellow
Kirstenbosch yellow
In addition plant breeders around the world have undertaken various breeding programmes to develop better quality plants with a wide range of colour and form.
There are a number of specialist clubs, breeders and growers of Clivia in the world including NZ. A list of internet sites for photographs and descriptions is available at the end of this article.
For more information on C. Miniata go to the South African Biodiversity website
C. caulescens. This is a rare plant which is epiphytic (growing in the branch unions of trees) with floppy leaves up to 1 m long. Its narrow funnelled, downward curving flowers are almost 40 mm long, pale red with green tip and yellow protruding stamen.
For more information on C. caulescens go to the South African Biodiversity website
C. gardenii. An upright plant with 10-14 flowers per umbel, reddish orange or yellow in colour curves downwards. It comes from Natal/Transvaal area and was discovered in 1862.
For more information on C. gardenii go to the South African Biodiversity website
C. nobilis. Discovered in 1828 it has 40-60 narrow drooping curved flowers on each umbel, and each flower is red and yellow in colour with green tips. It is endemic to the Cape Province.
For more information on C. nobilis go to the South African Biodiversity website
C. x cyrtanthi flora (C. miniata x C. noblis)
Pale scarlet flowers of this hybrid are in dense umbels, pendulous and narrow funnelled.
C. mirabilis
Recently described and named. It comes from the Northern Cape Province in South Africa. Between 20 and 48 bicoloured flowers are borne on long drooping, orange red pedicels. The flowers are orange-red at the ovary turning yellow towards the tips of the petals which are green. The flower darkens as it opens, and after pollination the whole flower including the ovary is coloured dark orange red.
For more information on C. mirabilis go to the South African Biodiversity website
C. robusta.
Officially describe in 2004 it is the biggest of the Clivias. This species grows up to 1.8 metres high. The leaves are 300-1200 mm long and 30-90 mm wide, 15 - 40 orange-red with green tip pendulous tubular flowers are borne on reddish changing to green pedicels.
For more information on C. robusta go to the South African Biodiversity website
Cultivars
Cross breeding and plant selection have played a large part in developing a wide range of cultivars. Colour and flower size now vary greatly from almost white to dark red with many bicolours. Stronger plants have wider leaves contrast with dainty finer forms. Many have been bred in New Zealand, South Africa and North America. They are grown in many countries around the world.
Visit the following web sites for more information and a gallery of colourful photographs.
http://www.clivia.net.nz/
http://www.clivias.com/
http://www.clivia.co.nz/
http://www.shieldsgardens.com/Clivia/
http://www.cliviasociety.org/
http://www.northamericancliviasociety.org/home.php
http://www.drkeithhammett.co.nz/AboutUs/clivias.htm
http://www.americancliviasociety.org/
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