code: 721
red-orange tubular flowers
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Common name: River Bells, Cape Figwort
Plant Classification: Hardy shrub Hardy perennial
Minimum Height: 1.0 meter
Maximum Height: 2.0 meters
Tubular, pendent, red-orange tubular flowers which are arranged around the stem on long stalks, open over a long period in summer. Vaguely similar to fuchsias, but unrelated, they are native to wet slopes and banks in southern Africa and although they are evergreen shrubs they are often treated as herbaceous perennials in colder climates.
Sowing advice:
These seeds have already been thoroughly cleaned and cold-stored for several months. They should be sown into a well-drained, sandy compost at any time of the year, and covered thinly with sand or grit and kept moist. Keep at between 15 and 20 degrees C. Germination usually occurs within 4 to 6 weeks although some seeds may take much longer.
Distribution and habitat
Phygelius capensis is usually found at high altitudes in the mountains of Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa, where it occurs in the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Western Cape Provinces. It is fairly common in the Drakensberg.
Uses
The plant is used in traditional medicine, and is also used as a charm against lightning. It is a fast-growing, hardy shrub and makes an ideal ornamental for a garden flower bed, and an outdoor pot plant, in sun or semi-shade. It thrives in damp areas and in normal garden conditions. It attracts wildlife into the garden.
