African Lily

Description:

Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Order: Asparagales Family: Amaryllidaceae Subfamily: Agapanthoideae Genus: Agapanthus Species: A. africanus Binomial name Agapanthus africanus Agapanthus africanus (African lily) is a native of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. A. africanus is more difficult to grow in gardens than A. praecox, and most plants sold as A. africanus are A. praecox. It has a short stem bearing a tuft of long, narrow, arching leaves 10–35 cm long and 1–2 cm broad, and a central flower stalk 25–60 cm tall, ending in an umbel of 20-30 white, or bright blue, funnel-shaped flowers, each flower 2.5–5 cm diamete

Habitat:

It was introduced to Europe at the close of the 17th century as a handsome greenhouse plant, and is hardy outdoors in the south of England and Ireland if protected from severe frosts. The plants are easy to cultivate and (in areas that have winter) are generally grown in large pots or tubs that can be protected from frost. Several cultivars are known, such as 'Albus' (with white flowers), 'Sapphire' (dark blue flowers), 'Aureus' (leaves striped with yellow), and 'Variegatus' (leaves almost entirely white with a few green bands). There are also double-flowered and larger- and smaller-flowered cultivars. During the summer they require plenty of water and they thrive on the margins of lakes or by running streams. They may be propagated from offsets or by dividing the rootstock in early spring or autumn.