About Eucomis autumnalis (Mill.) Chitt.
Eucomis autumnalis (Mill.) Chitt. is a perennial bulb plant that grows from a large bulb, which can reach 8–10 cm (3+1⁄4–4 in) in diameter. Like other species in the Eucomis genus, it produces a basal rosette of strap-shaped leaves. These leaves grow up to 55 cm (22 in) long and 6–13 cm (2+1⁄2–5 in) wide, and have wavy margins. Its sweetly scented inflorescence is produced in late summer; it forms a dense raceme, reaching an overall height of 30–45 cm (1 ft 0 in – 1 ft 6 in). Individual flowers have green, yellow-green or white tepals, and grow on short pedicels that are 2–10 mm (1⁄8–3⁄8 in) long. The filaments of the stamens are joined at the base to create a slightly cup-shaped structure. The inflorescence is topped by a coma, a head of green bracts that can reach up to 65 mm (2+1⁄2 in) long. The entire plant has no purple coloration. Two accepted subspecies of Eucomis autumnalis are distinguished by the structure of their seed capsules. E. autumnalis subsp. autumnalis has a thin-walled, often somewhat inflated seed capsule, while E. autumnalis subsp. clavata has a seed capsule with a hard double-layered pericarp wall. E. autumnalis subsp. clavata also has a somewhat club-shaped, clavate scape that narrows towards its base. Eucomis autumnalis has a native distribution ranging from Malawi to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. E. autumnalis subsp. autumnalis has been recorded in Malawi, Zimbabwe, and in South Africa’s Northern Provinces, Free State, and Cape Provinces. E. autumnalis subsp. clavata has a more central distribution, found in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, and Northern Provinces. This subspecies tends to grow at high altitudes. On the Drakensberg escarpment, it grows in grassland at 3,000 m (9,800 ft), where it is exposed to cold winters. Eucomis autumnalis is cultivated as an ornamental plant. Its flowers and later fruiting stems stay decorative for many weeks, and can be used as cut flowers. It can survive frosts as cold as approximately −7 °C (19 °F), especially when planted in a sheltered position in well-drained soil, and kept as dry as possible during its winter dormancy. It grows and flowers best when planted in full sun or partial shade in fertile soil, and kept well watered during its summer growing and flowering period. A cultivar was previously sold under the name "E. autumnalis 'White Dwarf'". As of 2018, the RHS Plant Finder classifies this cultivar as belonging to E. zambesiaca rather than E. autumnalis.
