Lachenalia aloides | |
---|---|
![]() |
|
L. aloides var. aloides (Curtis's Botanical Magazine) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Asparagaceae |
Subfamily: | Scilloideae |
Genus: | Lachenalia |
Species: | L. aloides |
Binomial name | |
Lachenalia aloides (L.f.) Engl. |
Lachenalia aloides (opal flower) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae,native to the Western Cape of South Africa. It is a bulbous perennial growing to 15–28 cm (6–11 in) tall by 5 cm (2 in) broad, with strap-shaped spotted leaves and fleshy stems bearing pendent tubular yellow flowers, red at the tips, in winter and spring. The Latin aloides literally means "aloe-like"; though L. aloides, despite its similarity, does not belong to the same family of plants as aloes.
Numerous cultivars have been bred for garden use. They require a sheltered, frost-free position or under glass. The following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit: