Angola: Northern Namibe – Grass Vley Lily aka Crinum Gramicola

Southern Angola is truly amazing from a botanical point of view – so many rare species that have been hardly explored or described. And we came offer the first rains when all these dormant annual plants sprung up to life. Like this absolutely spectacular lilies – huge and brightly red – in all likelihood these are Grass Vley Lily aka Crinum Gramicola. For most of the year, the plant in doorman in a giant underground bulb almost 10cm in diameter and only after the rains a hunch of flat green leaves come out, followed by a bunch of big purple-red flowers. The species is well described for Southern Africa, I am not sure it’s the same or different this much north in Angola.