''Watsonia borbonica'', the Cape bugle-lily, is a species of plant in the family

Iridaceae Iridaceae is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the irises, meaning rainbow, referring to its many colours. There are 66 accepted genera with a total of c. 2244 species worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016). It include ...

that is native to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

Taxonomy

''Watsonia borbonica'' has two subspecies: ''W. borbonica'' subsp. ''ardernei'', and subsp. ''borbonica''. ''W. borbonica'' subsp. ''ardernei'' is named in honour of H.M. Arderne, the Cape Town businessman whose family established the Arderne Gardens in Claremont . This subspecies is best known for its white form that is well-established in cultivation.

Characteristics

The species grows from

corm A corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (perennation). The word ' ...

s. It is dormant in summer and grows in winter, which is the rainy season in its native habitat. It has tall strap-like leaves growing in a fan arrangement. It may grow up to two metres tall. It flowers for up to 4–5 weeks in spring.

Distribution and habitat

''Watsonia borbonica'' grows in the winter-rainfall areas of the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

of South Africa. It usually grows on slopes consisting of rocky

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

and

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

. It may be found occasionally in sandy soils.

Cultivation

''Watsonia borbonica'' is a good garden plant as it bears showy flowers. It needs well-drained soil and full sun. During the dormant phase it should be kept dry.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7974880 Iridaceae