Cyrtanthus ventricosus
Cyrtanthus ventricosus
Cyrtanthus ventricosus, commonly called fire lily, is a small deciduous, bulbous plant reaching a height of 100–250 mm (3.9–9.8 in). It is in the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae, and is found along the Cape Fold Mountains from the Cape Peninsula, Western Cape, to the Kouga Mountains, Eastern Cape in South Africa. The fire lily produces salmon to scarlet blooms just nine days after fire occurs at the place where the plant stands.
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2471 Cyrtanthus ventricosus (as Cyrtanthus pallidus)
Cyrtanthus ventricosus 115630887Cyrtanthus ventricosus 115231483Cyrtanthus ventricosus03Overview
The fire lily produces salmon to scarlet blooms just nine days after fire occurs at the place where the plant stands.
Habitat & conservation
This plant flowers after wildfires. The red flowers are clearly visible against the blackened background to butterflies and sunbirds, the main pollinators of this species. They are attracted by the nectar that the flowers produce. Sunbirds sometimes pierce the base of the tube, resulting in them getting the nectar rewards without transferring the pollen between plants. This species has full self-sterility, meaning self-pollinated flowers do not produce seeds.
Conservation
While this plant may only flower after a fire, it is common in its range and the population is considered to be stable. As such, it is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
References
- 1Cyrtanthus ventricosus — Wikipedia — Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), 2026
- 2''Cyrtanthus ventricosus'' — pza.sanbi.org,
- 3Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region : 1: the core Cape flora — South African National Biodiversity Institute, SANBI, 2012
- 4Breeding systems in Cyrtanthus (Amaryllidaceae): variation in self-sterility and potential for ovule discounting — Plant Biology, 2019
- 5GBIF — occurrence records of Cyrtanthus ventricosus — GBIF, 2026
- 6Hình ảnh — Wikimedia Commons (6 ảnh, giấy phép CC/PD) — Wikimedia Commons, 2026