Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: sambreeltjies, umbrella lilies

Family: Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis)

Synonym: Hessea cinnabarina, Hessea weberlingiorum

Distribution: Northern Cape, Western Cape

Habitat: Sandy or clay flats

IUCN Red list: Not evaluated

National red list: Least Concern

Life form: Geophyte (bulb, corm or tuber - seasonally dormant)

Comments: This Cape geophyte has little star-shaped flowers which emerges in autumn right after the first rains. These are some of the earliest flowers in the Cape Floral Region, often appearing simultaneously as other species in the Amaryllis family such as Amaryllis belladonna and Brunsvigia bosmaniae. The seeds dispersal strategy of this plant is quite interesting: after it has finished flowering, the flowers and flowering stalks dry out, the cluster breaks loose from the plant and blows over the veld like a tumbleweed, dispersing its seeds as it goes.