Kleinia cephalophora Solved
Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2021 10:39 am
Some of you might have read the note on Kleinia galpinii that I provided for the most recent BCSS Enewsletter. Since I wrote that, I have realised that it is almost invariably sold as K. cephalophora in the UK with cultivar names such as ‘Mountain Fire’, ‘Fuji’ or ‘Amke’. They even have PVRs under those names from such wholesale nurseries as Eden Plants in the Netherlands and one wonders whether they are still valid if the species name is wrong?
Anyway for completeness, I thought it worth providing a photo of a real K. cephalophora that was raised from stock originating in the SW Richtersveld, which is a winter-rainfall area. This plant is much slower-growing than galpinii, the specimen in the image being over 10 years old and 30cm tall. Flowers are terminal and should be yellow in colour. However, although it has budded during the last three winters, the flowers have never opened. Based on feedback from others, it is a fairly easy species to kill!
Anyway for completeness, I thought it worth providing a photo of a real K. cephalophora that was raised from stock originating in the SW Richtersveld, which is a winter-rainfall area. This plant is much slower-growing than galpinii, the specimen in the image being over 10 years old and 30cm tall. Flowers are terminal and should be yellow in colour. However, although it has budded during the last three winters, the flowers have never opened. Based on feedback from others, it is a fairly easy species to kill!