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I
first
collected this plant which I found growing in full sun at the Treasure
Beach
grasslands in Durban in the late 1970`s. The tiny insignificant single
stemmed
specimen that I collected grew rapidly under my care and soon started
to produce
vast amounts of seed which germinated readily under the ideal
conditions
that I gave it and in no time at all I had large numbers of this
delightful
little plant. Anthericum saundersiae produces a profusion of little
white star
like flowers on long thin, arching stems from mid winter into late
summer. Some
years later I gave a number of my still unidentified plants to Geoff
Nichols
who took a specimen to the Natal Herbarium at Botanic Gardens where it
was
identified as Anthericum saundersiae. I grew and sold Anthericum
saundersiae in
my own nursery in small numbers but after they found their way to the
Silver
Glenn indigenous plant nursery they were propagated in large numbers
making
them much more available to the public.
In 2001 I went to stay in Germany where I became familiar with a very similar and popular specie Anthericum ramosa Syn. graminifolium so I was not at all surprised when I returned to South Africa seven years later and found Anthericum saundersiae growing in their countless thousands in nearly every new garden planting in and around Durban. Whether those plants now in cultivation came from the one tiny specimen that I collected way back in the 1970`s or from another source I do not know and probably will never know but the likely hood is certainly high that they did. Anthericum saundersiae is a very productive trouble free garden plant that grows to about 700 mm which is ideal for the natural garden in that it that attracts vast numbers of insects in particular large numbers of bee species from the very smallest to large bumble bees that when they land on the flower they weight them almost down to the ground causing them to bob up and down as they move from flower to flower setting the plants in motion as if they are dancing. I have observed that the foliage is also loved by Scrub Hares, domestic rabbits and in particular Egyptian Geese. Although Anthericum saundersiae prefers to grow in full sun in fertile sandy soil it is a very versatile plant that will grow under almost any conditions in most soils from sand to heavy clay soils in frost free areas. Anthericum saundersiae propagates very easily and profusely from seed but can also be subdivided when seed is not available. Seed germinates best in raised seed beds or directly on the ground in prepared sandy soil with a little very well rotted compost added, poor results may be obtained if seed is planted into a bark based growing medium in seed trays Michael Hickman 08.10.12 |
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