Boophone disticha

Origin and background of Boophone disticha

Boophone disticha has a wide African range across parts of southern and tropical Africa. It grows in open, sunny places with freely draining ground and distinct periods of growth and rest.

Different populations are adapted to different rainfall seasons, so the timing of leaf growth varies across the species. Wild plants have also been harvested for traditional medicine in parts of their range. In South Africa, the species is classed as Least Concern, although its population is decreasing.

Care for Boophone disticha

• Light: Give the plant very bright light with direct sun.
• Temperature: Keep it frost-free and warm while leaves are growing.
• Humidity: Normal indoor humidity is suitable.
• Potting mix: Use a deep container and a coarse, gritty mix that drains quickly around the bulb and roots.
• Planting depth: When repotting, keep the bulb at its current depth, with the upper part exposed.
• Watering: Water thoroughly while leaves are growing, then allow the potting mix to dry well before watering again. As the leaves naturally die back, reduce watering sharply and keep the resting bulb mostly dry until fresh growth appears.
• Feeding: Feed lightly while leaves are growing.
• Repotting: Repot when the roots have little room left or the potting mix has broken down. Established bulbs develop substantial roots, so choose a deep container.
• Propagation: Grow new plants from seed. Young plants develop slowly before reaching flowering size.

Problems to watch for with Boophone disticha

• Bulb tissue becomes soft, dark or foul-smelling: Excess moisture during rest or poor drainage can cause bulb rot. Unpot the bulb and remove rotten tissue back to firm healthy tissue with a clean tool. Discard the rotten material, let the cut surface dry, and replant in fresh gritty mix.
• New leaves grow long, weak or unusually pale: Light is too low. Increase direct sun gradually.
• Cottony insects collect beneath the papery bulb layers or between leaf bases: Mealybugs may be present. Isolate the plant, remove visible insects, and use a treatment labelled for ornamental plants as directed on the label.

Boophone disticha is toxic to people and pets

• This plant is toxic. Keep every part away from children, cats and dogs.
• Toxic alkaloids are concentrated in the bulb, although other parts can also cause poisoning.
• Swallowing any part may cause drooling, vomiting, stomach pain, weakness or tremors. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional promptly, especially if the bulb was eaten.

Where does the name Boophone disticha come from?

Boophone combines Greek bous, meaning ox, with phonos, meaning slaughter, giving the sense ox-killer and warning of the bulb’s toxicity to livestock. Disticha means arranged in two rows.

William Herbert established the genus Boophone in 1821 in Appendix, page 18.

Carl Linnaeus the Younger first described it as Amaryllis disticha in 1782 in Supplementum Plantarum, page 195. William Herbert later placed it in Boophone as Boophone disticha in 1825 in Botanical Magazine, volume 52, plate 2578.