Typical ravine and thicket habitat of Scadoxus puniceus in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.

Paintbrush lily (Scadoxus puniceus) is an impressive large bulb found in much of eastern South Africa and northwards towards the equatorial East African nations. We came across a population of these in a shaded thicket on a southern slope – in this hemisphere, the south sides of hillsides are the shady ones – and enjoyed seeing them in full bloom.

This cultivated specimen in Durban Botanical Gardens draws several pollinating bees.

Scadoxus are members of the large amaryllis family, and like so many of their relatives they are quite toxic when consumed. Despite that trait, the bulbs are widely used in traditional African herbal medicine and populations of these striking flowers have been greatly reduced in many areas as a result. Paintbrush lilies have large, heavy bulbs at maturity and take at least 6 to 8 years to start blooming from seed, if not more. Flower color varies from orange to bright scarlet. What a pleasure to have found these!

The anthers of the individual florets are the most colorful part of the flower umbel, although the yellow to orange petals and red bud bracts add impact as well. This and all the remaining photos are of wild plants in habitat in Kwazulu-Natal province, South Africa.

Some Scadoxus put out a lot of leaves before they flower, while others within the same stand will bloom while still leafless. This individual’s leaf fan measures about 20″ (50 cm) tall.

Jessie models in the forest to provide a sense of scale and size for the Scadoxus population we found on the highway between the Drakensberg and Durban in Kwazulu-Natal Province.

I’ve got it on good authority from several garden friends that these marvelous paintbrush lilies do grow well in places like California, central Texas, and North Carolina. I also want to grow these! However I doubt they’d much appreciate the heat and dryness of Arizona, and this is why we travel to see things in habitat.

More cultivated specimens growing at the Durban Botanical gardens. For flowers without petals, these sure are showy!

This Scadoxus is set against the smooth bark of a baobab tree at Durban Botanical Gardens. While paintbrush lilies are fairly gigantic and long-lived for bulbous plants, they are dwarfed by the giant baobab tree in both size and age. I wish them both many more centuries of life.