Clivia

Leaves and false stem

In cultivation, the plant is described as a stemless, evergreen herbaceous perennial with a short rhizome. Its roots are thick, fleshy, and only slightly fibrous, making them easy to damage during repotting.

The leaves have sheathing bases that wrap tightly around one another, forming a false stem. At 14 years old, a plant may have 22-24 leaves measuring 48-73 cm long and 5.5-8 cm wide.

Flower clusters and flower structure

The flower stalk rises 21-33 cm above the rosette and has ridges along its edges. It bears an umbrella-shaped cluster of 12-26 flowers, with the entire cluster measuring 15-20 cm across.

The flowers are bright orange with yellowish-white bases and measure 6.5 × 8 cm. The perianth is tubular and broadly funnel-shaped, fused at the base, and consists of 6 segments arranged in two whorls.

• flower pedicel 3-5 cm
• 6 stamens with pale yellow filaments
• slender, pale yellow style 8.6 cm long

Origin and names

The species is native to South Africa. The genus Clivia belongs to the family Amaryllidaceae; in the wild, the species is associated with tropical forest conditions, where seeds may germinate inside the fruit.

John Lindley named the genus Clivia after Charlotte Clive, Duchess of Northumberland. The specific epithet miniata comes from a Latin word associated with cinnabar, a red-orange pigment.

Flowering indoors

Indoors, flowering is reported from February-March through April. A second flowering period is also possible from September through November if the plant has developed a new flower stalk.

The cluster begins to open with the first three flowers. Most flowers usually open on day 7-8, when the color of the petal-like perianth segments is at its most intense.

An individual flower lasts about 17 days, and the entire cluster lasts about 23 days. These durations help explain why the plant appears to finish flowering gradually rather than all at once, as individual flowers age.

Fruit and seeds

On day 16-17 after pollination, the perianth falls off along with the stamens and style, exposing the ovary. It is rounded and three-sided, measuring 1.2 × 0.6 cm.

The fruit is a large, berry-like capsule containing individual seeds. It is initially dark green and glossy, turning bright red when ripe; fruit and seed development takes 8-10 months.

• 6-10 fruits on a single 8-10-year-old plant after artificial pollination
• 1-6 fully developed seeds in each fruit
• up to 50 seeds when two flower stalks are present

Propagation

The plant can be propagated vegetatively or from seed. Vegetative propagation involves separating offsets, which develop on plants aged 4-5 years; propagation by cuttings is also reported.

Seeds are germinated in moist sawdust that has been boiled or in a mix of loam, peat, and sand. At +20…+25 °C, roots appear on day 18-20, and shoots emerge above the surface after 30-40 days.

• separating offsets
• taking cuttings
• sowing ripe seeds

Pet safety and care risks

The plant is toxic to cats and dogs. Place the pot where pets cannot reach the leaves, flower stalks, fruit, or fleshy roots.

When handling the plant, keep in mind its dense rosette and roots that break under pressure. Repot carefully: damage to the rhizome and roots slows recovery after a change of pot.