''Scadoxus puniceus'', commonly known as the paintbrush lily, is a species of bulbous plant. It is native to much of southern and eastern Africa:

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(Swaziland), and

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(the Cape Provinces,

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, the Free State and the Northern Provinces). ''Scadoxus puniceus'' can be found in cool, shady habitat such as ravines and forests, where it is often found in moist leaf litter. Other common names include snake lily, royal paintbrush, King-of-Candida, African blood lily (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

), ''rooikwas'' (

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...

), ''isisphompho'', and ''umgola'' ( Zulu). There are nine species of ''Scadoxus'' of which three, ''S. puniceus'', ''S. multiflorus'' (with 2 subspecies) and ''S.membranaceus'', occur in South Africa.

Description

Scadoxus puniceus - Kirstenbosch botanical garden - 1

The bright red, round fruits are about a centimeter wide, and each produces a single

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seed.

Taxonomy

The genus was named by the

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Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

, who did not explain its etymology. The name is possibly from ''doxus'' meaning "glory" or "splendour" in

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

, referring to the scarlet flowers; the prefix ''sca'' means "obscure" or "hidden", or from the Greek "skia" = shade. One source reports the origin of the name to be unclear. p. 167 The species name ''puniceus'' means "reddish-purple". Previously classified as part of '' Haemanthus'', it was separated mainly because of its stalked leaves.

Synonyms

*''Gyaxis puniceus'' (L.) Salisb. *''Haemanthus fax-imperii'' Cufod. *''Haemanthus goetzei'' Harms *''Haemanthus insignis'' Hook. *''Haemanthus magnificus'' (Herb.) Herb. *''Haemanthus natalensis'' Hook. *''Haemanthus orchidifolius'' Salisb. *''Haemanthus puniceus'' L. *''Haemanthus puniceus'' var. ''fortuita'' Herb. *''Haemanthus puniceus'' var. ''magnificus'' Herb. *''Haemanthus redouteanus'' M.Roem. *''Haemanthus redouteanus'' var. ''subalbus'' M.Roem. *''Haemanthus rouperi'' auct. *''Haemanthus superbus'' Baker

Cultivation

The plant is cultivated as an

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. It was popular in the

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as early as the beginning of the 18th century.

Cultivars

Some artificial hybrids between ''Scadoxus puniceus'' and '' S. multiflorus'' subsp. ''katherinae'' are known. Johannes Nicolai raised ''S.'' 'König Albert', which flowered for the first time in 1899. Although rare in cultivation, it multiplies rapidly. Of the same parentage is ''S.'' 'Andromeda', which was raised by C. G. van Tubergen around 1904.

Uses

While the bulb is considered poisonous in significant amounts, it is used traditionally to treat "coughs, gastro-intestinal problems, febrile colds, asthma, leprosy, sprains and bruises," and "as an antidote to poisons.'" It is also used as a

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics in ...

. The leaves are applied to sores and ulcers to aid healing and act as an antiseptic. The plant is also traditionally consumed during pregnancy as part of an herbal regime to ensure safe labour. The alkaloids in the plant include haemanthamines, haemanthidine, 6-β-hydroxycrinamine, scapunine, and scadoxucines.