Cyrtanthus

Aiton
Source: 
SSA
Synonym(s): 
Vallota Herb.: 29 (1821); Baker: 217 (1896). Anoiganthus Baker: 76 (1878); Baker: 193 (1896).
Description: 
Deciduous or evergreen bulbous herbs. Bulb often splitting into large clusters or producing bulbils. Leaves few to several, erect to spreading, sometimes twisted or spiralled, slender to strap-shaped, glabrous, often with a conspicuous midrib, present during or after flowering. Inflorescence 1-many-flowered, often lax; scape hollow or rarely solid, glabrous; spathe-valves 2-4, soon withering. Flowers regular to weakly irregular, erect to pendulous, red, orange, yellow or white; pedicels shorter than or equalling perigone. Tepals connate into a distinct tube; tube usually longer than segments, +/- dilated from base, often curved; segments equal or subequal. Stamens arising from throat or perigone tube; filaments in 2 series, usually free, rarely with bases expanded into a false corona; anthers dorsifixed, rarely pseudo-basifixed, versatile. Ovary subglobose; ovules many per locule; style +/- as long or longer than filaments; stigma shortly to distinctly 3-lobed. Capsule +/- ellipsoid, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds black, flattened, wrinkled, usually somewhat winged. x = 8.
Distribution: 
Species +/- 50, in all countries and provinces of sthn Afr., except Botswana, with the greatest species diversity in eastern sthn Afr.; +/- 2 species in sub-Saharan Africa.
Classification: 

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Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith