Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: Lachenalia

Family: Asparagaceae (Asparagus)

Distribution: Western Cape

Habitat: Seasonally damp depressions on granit outcrops on the Cape West Coast

National red list: Critically Endangered

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

Comments: Its startling turquoise blooms place it among an exclusive group of plants with turquoise, greenish turquoise or sea-green flowers that include the exquisite green ixia, ixia viridiflora, from Western Cape and the dazzling jade vine, strongylodon macrobotrys, from southeast Asia. Although critically endangered in its native habitat, the ease with which L. viridiflora can be cultivated as a pot subject has endeared it to gardeners around the world.