This seems to be a very variable species. It is found, according to Snijman (1984), from "the Bokkeveld mountains near Nieuwoudtville in the west to the Hantamsberg near Calvinia in the east, bounded by Loeriesfontein in the north and the Tanqua Karoo in the south."

Accession #368

From Calvinia (#936)

Haemanthus barkerae in Flower

The form exemplified by Accession #368, with strap-like leaves, has inflorescences that spread and are generally lighter pink in color. The form from Calvinia, Accession #936, with more spatulate-shaped leaves, has a more closed inflorescence and deeper pink coloration. Without many more collections across the entire range of barkerae, I can't say whether these differences are significant or not.

Haemanthus barkerae from Calvinia in Leaf - Obovate

Haemanthus barkerae #368 in Leaf - Lorate

The leaves vary from long, narrowly lorate to broadly obovate with a narrow base; they have red to brown bars on the abaxial surface near the base.

Haemanthus barkerae Bulbs
Accession #368.C which forms offsets

The bulb is round in cross section; some of the forms produce offsets abundantly, especially the lorate-leafed forms. The obovate-leafed form seems to produce no offsets.

Haemanthus barkerae Fruit (Accession #368)

Note the characteristic wrinkling of the fruit shell. The seeds inside these fruits are medium-sized for Haemanthus and dark purple in color.

The two extremes of the leaf forms may indicate that barkerae is in the process of splitting into two separate species. I do see some slight differences in the inflorescences of the two leaf forms, but it would still be interesting to look more carefully at the different forms of barkerae.

Acknowledgements

D. Snijman (1984) "A Revision of The Genus Haemanthus L. (Amaryllidaceae)" Journal of South African Botany, Suppl. vol. 12. Trustees of the National Botanic Gardens of South Africa, publishers.

Other Sources of Information

• Bulbs for Warm Climates, Thad M. Howard, University of Texas Press, Austin (2001).
  
• Bulbs, Revised Edition, John E. Bryan, Timber Press, Portland (2002).
  
• RHS Manual of Bulbs, John Bryan and Mark Griffiths, Eds., Timber Press, Portland (1995).
  
• The Color Encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs, John Manning, Peter Goldblatt, & Dee Snijman, Timber Press, Portland and Cambridge (2002).
  
• Cape Bulbs, Richard L. Doutt, Timber Press, Portland and Cambridge (1994).
  
• Namaqualand. South African Wild Flower Guide 1, Annelise Le Roux & Ted Schelpe, Botanical Society of South Africa, Cape Town (1988).
  
• Outeniqua. South African Wild Flower Guide 2, Audrey Moriarity, Botanical Society of South Africa, Cape Town (1982).
  
• Karoo. South African Wild Flower Guide 6, David Shearing, Botanical Society of South Africa, Cape Town (1994).
  
• West Coast. South African Wild Flower Guide 7, John Manning & Peter Goldblatt, Botanical Society of South Africa, Cape Town (1996).
  
• Southern Overberg. South African Wild Flower Guide 8, Penny Mustart, Richard Cowling, Janice Albertyn, & Colin Patterson-Jones, Botanical Society of South Africa, Cape Town (1997).
  
• Nieuwoudtville. South African Wild Flower Guide 9, John Manning & Peter Goldblatt, Botanical Society of South Africa, Cape Town (1997).
  

Last updated 13 February 2013
© Copyright 2013 by James E. Shields. All rights reserved.