Fynbos Corridor Collaboration

Blue Ladieshand

Cyanella hyacinthoides

© (c) Tony Rebelo, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Tony Rebelo (CC-BY-SA)

Description - from Wikipedia

Cyanella hyacinthoides ("lady's hand" or "Raaptoluintjie") is a species of cormous annual or perennial herb native to the western parts of South Africa.

Description
It has a basal rosette, with slender, lanceolate, crisped (wavy-margins) leaves.
The mauve, pink, purple or blue (rarely white) flowers are mildly scented, and appear on a spreading inflorescence in Spring (August to November in the southern hemisphere).
The plant can be up to 40 centimetres high.

Distribution and habitat
It is native to the Cape region of South Africa, especially the renosterveld, where it usually grows in loamy soil in clay and granite slopes. Its range extends as far north as the Namaqualand, and southwards into the Overberg region of the southern Cape, as far as the town of Riversdale.
It is also reportedly naturalised in Western Australia.
The bulb is edible once cooked, and is said to serve as an onion substitute.
It tolerates drought but is vulnerable to frost.

References
External links

Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). "Cyanella hyacinthoides". African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.

Read more here

Species Characteristics

Tolerances & suitability

Drought-resistant Drought-resistant
Good potplant Good potplant

Growth features

Easy to grow Easy to grow

Social features

Attractive Attractive
Edible Edible
Fragrant Fragrant
Useful Useful

Aspect

Sun Sun

Plant types

Bulb Bulb
Flowering Period
  • Blue
  • Mauve/Lilac
  • Pink
  • Yellow
Sep Oct Nov

Nursery availability

No nursery stock found.

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