Hesperantha coccinea (Backh. & Harv.) Goldblatt & J.C. Manning

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Road to World's View, Nyanga

Photo: Bart Wursten
Rd to World's View, Nyanga

Photo: Bart Wursten
Above Nyamuziwa Falls, Nyanga NP

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Synonyms:	Schizostylis coccinea Backh. & Harv.
Common names:	Scarlet river lily (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb, stem usually unbranched, 40–70 cm high, dying back during the dry winter months. Leaves several, narrowly linear-lanceolate, mostly basal, 5–10 mm wide; margins and midribs lightly thickened; upper leaves inserted on the stem well above the ground becoming shorter towards the top. Inflorescence a (3)8–12-flowered spike. Flowers red, occasionally pink, rarely white; perianth tube 22–35 mm long, reaching, more often exceeding the bract apices; tepals spreading horizontally and at right angles to the perianth tube, 25–35 mm long. Fruit an oblong to obovoid capsule, 10–12 mm long.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	coccinea: scarlet
Habitat:	Always close to water, growing on streambanks and along seepage zones, the flowers often overhanging the stream.
Altitude range:
Flowering time:	Jan - Feb
Worldwide distribution:	Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa.
Mozambique distribution:	MS
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Goldblatt, P. (1993). Iridaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(4) Pages 61 - 62. As Schizostylis coccinea (Includes a picture). Goldblatt, P. & Manning, J.C. (1996). Reduction of Schizostylis (Iridaceae: Ixioideae) in Hesperantha Novon 6(3) Pages 262 - 264. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 92. as Schizostylis coccinea

Other sources of information about Hesperantha coccinea:

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Flora of Zimbabwe: Hesperantha coccinea

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Hesperantha coccinea
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Hesperantha coccinea
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Hesperantha coccinea
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Hesperantha coccinea
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Hesperantha coccinea
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Hesperantha coccinea
JSTOR Plant Science: Hesperantha coccinea
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Hesperantha coccinea
Plants of the World Online: Hesperantha coccinea
Tropicos: Hesperantha coccinea
Wikipedia: Hesperantha coccinea