Late summer Table Mountain Walks

The “blood lillies” of Table Mountain

Ridgway ramblers offer guided hikes throughout the year. Join us to explore Table Mountain and the fynbos plant kingdom found here.

One of the plants I always look forward to seeing on Table Mountain is the “blood lilly”. It appears towards the end of summer mainly in shaded areas on the Western slopes of Table Mountain.

Haemanthus coccineus

Lying dormant throughout the summer, it flowers at the end of summer producing a bright red flower conspicuous by both its size and its appearance.

Also known as the March lilly or April fools flower, the Latin name for the plant is Haemanthus Coccineus. This name deriving from the Greek word for blood (haima)

A very similar plant also found in the Autumn months is the endemic fynbos geophyte the Haemanthus sanguineus or common paintbrush. The main difference between the 2 plants is the stem which is barred in the coccineus.

 

The common paintbrush