Cyrtanthus is the largest genus of the Amaryllidaceae family in Africa consisting of 60 species. Fifty of these species are indigenous to South Africa where they occupy a vast range of habitats, from arid lowlands to snowy mountains. There are desert plants and those capable of withstanding cold and wet. For safety’s sake, they should all be regarded as tender. All Cyrtanthus need good drainage. Use clay pots or bed them out, in a soil containing a LOT of river sand. Never put them in peat-based compost (or similar), never use plastic pots. Most do not need much water. Let them dry out almost completely between watering. If in doubt then don’t give any water. The majority are deciduous, sometimes only briefly, but they will need a dry dormant period to ripen growth.

Cyrtanthus epiphyticus is a very attractive species from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, with pendulous reddish-orange flowers in spring. The flower tube is narrow and curved and the lobes roundish with blunt recurved tips. This species is epiphytic on trees and rocks in moist conditions.