Tulbaghia leucantha

Mountain Wild Garlic Amaryllidaceae

A less commonly cultivated but very attractive species, Tulbaghia leucantha forms a compact clump of narrow, somewhat fleshy leaves from small, rhizomatous corms. In summer, slender flowering stems rise above the foliage carrying small clusters of greenish-white, strongly inflexed flowers with a conspicuous orange-crimson corona—an unusually sophisticated colour combination within the genus. Plants are generally 8–28cm tall, although the flowering stems can extend to around 25cm. 

Native from Zambia southwards through Zimbabwe and Botswana into South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, it is a plant of grassland and open woodland, typically on sandy soils at around 1000–1400m. It is widespread and not considered threatened. 

Interestingly, T. leucantha is a very variable species. Its foliage may be almost grass-like and only a few millimetres wide or considerably broader, while flower size and corona colour also vary. Cytotaxonomic work has shown both diploid and tetraploid forms, with the tetraploids generally having slightly larger flowers. Several plants subsequently described as separate species have consequently been reduced to synonymy. 

Nomenclature

Tulbaghia leucantha was described by John Gilbert Baker, first published in Flora Capensis in 1897. The name is currently accepted by Kew. Its principal synonym is Tulbaghia dieterlenii E.Phillips, while T. friesii Suess. and T. rhodesica Weim. have also been treated as synonyms. 

The specific epithet leucantha means white-flowered, referring to the pale perianth, although the flowers are far from simply white thanks to their striking orange-crimson corona.

Height: 15–30cm
Spread: 20–30cm
Flowers: Summer
Position: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Sandy, fertile but very well drained
Hardiness: H4–H5; best protected from prolonged winter wet
Growth: Summer-growing, with a dormant period

An excellent choice for a sunny, well-drained rock garden or raised bed, and particularly interesting for the collector of less familiar Tulbaghia. Its combination of fine foliage and greenish-white flowers with an orange-crimson centre makes it quite distinct from the ubiquitous T. violacea.