Watsonia tabularis

Family: Iridaceae

Table Mountain Watsonia. Watsonia tabularis is evergreen. New leaves sprout in winter and its main growing season is during winter, spring and early summer. The leaves are sword-shaped. Several are produced at the base of the plant, which are 0.5 to 1 m long and up to 40 mm broad at the widest point. They have a prominent midvein and are erect. There are also leaves that arise from the flowering stem, which are only 80 –200 mm long. They wrap around the stem, are inflated and often contain some water. The stems are branched and a dark purplish colour. The flowers are elongated tubes, up to 45 mm long with flaring lobes, arranged in showy 20–30-flowered spikes up to 1.5 m high, in early summer. The flower color is variable, they can be a deep reddish orange, a bright orange, or salmon-pink with paler inner tepals.

Sowing instructions: Seed is sown in autumn, thinly, in deep (min. 10 cm) seed trays, to allow for root development. The soil medium should be well drained, a recommended mix being 2 parts sand: 2 parts compost: 1 part loam or equal parts sand and compost, and the seeds should be planted 3-4 mm deep, covered with clean sand and kept moist and lightly shaded.

Locality: Glencairn. Harvest: April 2024