Most South African species belong to the Iridaceae (Iris-family) or
the Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis family), with some like the Kniphofia
belonging to the small family of the Asphodelaceae, of which the
Spanish native Asphodel is also a member.
Some interesting genera (each having several tens to hundreds of
species!) for the Mediterranean garden are:
Winter rainfall:
Watsonia, Nerine, Boophane, Moraea,
Haemanthus, Bulbinella
Summer rainfall: Kniphofia, Scadoxus, Zantedeschia,
Ornithogalum, Clivia, Crocosmia, Agapanthus
From experience, I know that quite a few of these bulb species are
hard to come by. What I usually do is order seeds (most bloom within
two years after sowing) or bulbs from African Bulbs, a small nursery
in South Africa, run by Rhoda and Cameron McMaster. They are both
bulb enthusiasts and very
helpful when you want to get
information or to order special
African bulbs. Take a look at
the website www.africanbulbs.
com
In the next article I will discuss
some bulbs native to Spain and
the European Mediterranean.
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