''Sandersonia'' is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ho ...

plant, belonging to the family

Colchicaceae Colchicaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes 15 genera with a total of about 285 known species according to Christenhusz and Byng in 2016. Description The family is characterized by the presence of colchicine. Taxonomy The APG III ...

, the single species ''Sandersonia aurantiaca'' being native to

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

(the

Cape Provinces The Cape Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "CPP". It includes the Sout ...

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is loca ...

and the

Northern Provinces The Northern Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "TVL". It includes the So ...

) and

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

(Swaziland). Common names for ''S. aurantiaca'' include Christmas bells, golden lily of the valley, Chinese lantern lily and Chinese lantern bulb. ''S. aurantiaca'' is a

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

of trailing growth that can reach 30 inches in height. The flowers are yellow or orange.

Care

''Sandersonia aurantiaca'' thrives in well-drained sandy soil enriched with compost and enjoys full sun, but not excessive heat (under which condition it requires frequent watering). A delicate plant, it bruises easily if handled carelessly. The growth habit is upright but lax, with plants benefitting from staking. Herbaceous perennials, Sandersonias die back naturally at the end of the season, surviving the winter in zones 9 and 10. They do well in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, and other places with mild climates and are also suited to cultivation in glasshouses. Growth is slow for the first few years but becomes more rapid with each growing season, once the plants are fully established. When they have formed large enough clumps, they may be propagated by division. The orange/yellow flowers resemble tiny Chinese Lanterns. The orange of the flowers of Sandersonia aurantiaca is, however, more yellow in tone than that of the inflated calyces of

Physalis alkekengi ''Alkekengi officinarum'', the bladder cherry, Chinese lantern, Japanese-lantern, strawberry groundcherry, or winter cherry, is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family Solanaceae. It is a close relative of the new world '' Calliphy ...

(another plant known by the common name ''Chinese lantern''). Of the two plants, Sandersonia is the more resistant to fungal disease.

Toxicity, due to colchicine content

The corms of ''Sandersonia aurantiaca'' contain levels of the toxic alkaloid

colchicine Colchicine is a medication used to treat gout and Behçet's disease. In gout, it is less preferred to NSAIDs or steroids. Other uses for colchicine include the management of pericarditis and familial Mediterranean fever. Colchicine is taken b ...

comparable to those in ''

Gloriosa superba ''Gloriosa superba'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Colchicaceae. Common names include flame lily, climbing lily, creeping lily, glory lily, gloriosa lily, tiger claw,Scheper, J''Gloriosa superba''.Floridata.com. agnishikha and fir ...

'', another very poisonous plant belonging to the family Colchicaceae (named for the equally toxic ''

Colchicum autumnale ''Colchicum autumnale'', commonly known as autumn crocus, meadow saffron, or naked ladies, is a toxic autumn-blooming flowering plant that resembles the true crocuses, but is a member of the plant family Colchicaceae, unlike the true crocuses, whi ...

''). The plant has been held responsible for at least one case of fatal poisoning, the victim being an 80-year-old Japanese woman who died nine days after eating the corms, after doctors failed in their attempts to reverse the decline in her white blood cell count. The toxic principle was determined to be Colchicine and this was the first occasion upon which the alkaloid was found to be present in Sandersonia aurantiaca.http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/colchicum_autumnale.htm Retrieved 19.15 on Monday 9/9/19

Gallery

File:Sandersonia aurantiaca 1DS-II 2-5451.jpg, Side view of single flower. File:Sandersonia aurantiaca 1DS-II 2-5453.jpg, Single flower tilted to show mouth. File:Sandersonia aurantiaca 1DS-II 2-5456.jpg, Single flower in semi-profile. File:Sandersonia aurantiaca 1DS-II 2-5455.jpg, Rear view of single flower. File:Sandersonia aurantiaca 1DS-II 2-5460.jpg, Single flower dissected to show gynoecium and androecium. File:Sandersonia aurantiaca yellow (18992822994).jpg, Yellow-flowered form of plant: cultivated specimen trained on small bamboo trellis to support lax growth.

References

External links

Colchicaceae Monotypic Liliales genera Colchicaceae genera Flora of the Cape Provinces Flora of KwaZulu-Natal Flora of Swaziland Flora of the Northern Provinces {{liliales-stub