Sandersonia aurantiaca

Christmas Bells; Geelklokkie; ihlamvu lasenhla; umagobongwana.

These delicate flowers used to be abundant, but years ago it was fashionable to pick bunches of them for sale at Christmas time as they make long-lasting cut flowers.  This, along with habitat loss, this has led to their decline in the wild.  New Zealand has developed them for horticulture and they are now available worldwide as cultivated plants.

Sandersonia grow from a tuber in damp grassland and on the edges of forest. They stand erect (about 50 cm high), with the bells drooping along the stem. The bright green leaves are soft and elongate, in the shade they develop tendrils on the tip of the plant.  Traditionally used as an aphrodisiac and for protection against evil.

Click on any of the links below to see another Dargle wildflower