another species Hypoxis colchicifolia or iLabatheka is more
often used by traditional medical practitioners. This last mentioned species
is a more robust plant foliage-wise but does not produce as showy flowers
as the first species mentioned.
This genus of bulbous plants is well known to most people that have had
occasion to wander through the countryside, especially the grassland areas
of this province. The flowers vary in size and colour or pattern but essentially
the shape of the five pointed star-shaped flowers remains the same.
The number of species in this genus is nearly 50 and here on the coast
there must be at least 10 species that occur.
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The fibrous
corm that these plants produce have a yellow colour when cut open. They are
used by the Zulu people as medicine and now in Europe an extract from the
corm is used in the treatment of arthritis and for those middle aged men amongst
us in the treating of our failing prostate glands. Margaret Roberts in her
book on "Indigenous Healing Plants" mentions amongst other remedies that
the juice from the sliced rootstock is used by several African tribes for
the treatment of burns. I know that the application of a small bit of the
crushed corm on an open cut helps with healing, it seems to have antiseptic
properties which herbalists have used for many centuries.
Anyway enough talk on the healing properties of this plant lets get down
to the part that you've all been waiting for and that is how to grow these
plants. They are quite indestructible. The corm which is about 100 mm long
by about 75 mm in diameter will survive out of the ground for many months
and if replanted and watered will shoot out in a matter of four days and flowers
appear in the second week. They do best in full sun and for those of you
like me who don't have the luxury of a large garden then the hypoxis is an
ideal pot plant. The yellow flowers are borne on fairly elongated stalks and
each individual flower lasts only a day. The seed capsule is a fine piece
of botanical engineering where the three compartments containing the small
hard round shiny black seeds, are covered with a cap. When mature this cap
falls off and the delicately balanced cup then proceeds to tip out its load
of seeds a few at a time. They germinate after about three weeks and grow
rapidly till the end of summer where they like any other self-respecting bulb
go dormant for the dry cold winter. The pots then can be put under a bench
or simply not watered for four months till the Spring. Then in late August
begin watering and feeding the soil and in four days the new leaves will
appear as if by magic followed by the flowers thus starting the whole cycle
once again.
