Clivia miniata Regel
Kaffir lily, Natal lily, bush lily
Natal lily is native to damp woodlands in South Africa, from Morgan’s Bay in the Eastern Cape Province up into northern KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland. It is not found in the wild in North America. Cultivars like these, popular as house plants, are often called Kaffir lilies.
Plants: Up to 2½′ (80 cm) in height.
Leaves: Basal, straplike and long in their natural habitats—usually about 3′ (1 m), rarely approaching 6½′ (2 m), and 1¾–3½″ (5–9 cm) wide.
Flowers: Dense, spherical flowerheads contain 8-20 flowers, each about 1″ (2.5 cm) across, with six petals. The natural flowers are vermillion with a pale yellow throat. Various cultivars are orange, apricot-colored, red, yellow, and pink with white or cream-colored centers
Fruits: Bright orange to red (yellow with some cultivars).
Habitats: Warm, rich, well-drained shady forest habitats.
Edibility: Poisonous.
Contains alkaloids, including lycorine.
Symptoms include salivation, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; paralysis can result if large amounts are ingested.
Online References:
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California 
2/26/2010 · San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Amaryllidaceae | Amaryllis family—plants that grow from bulbs. Includes onions and many others |
| Genus | Clivia | For Lady Charlotte Clive, Duchess of Northumberland, who first cultivated it in England |
| Species | miniata | For minium, or red lead (Pb₃O₄), a brilliant orange oxide of lead that resembles the flower color |
Clivia miniata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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