Plant paradise: Colourful clivia (kunshiran)

These flowers belong to the barber shop that I sometimes go to. I thought the flowers looked very pretty together with the wall tiles. They are called Clivia or Kunshiran or ukezaki-kunshiran. Ran usually refers to some kind of orchid. It’s an orchid. Below is a creamy colored version.

More information below:

Named after Lady Clive (1787 – 1866), Duchess of Northumberland.

The genus Clivia is a small plant family of all evergreen “bulbous” plants (“bulbous” as in red hot poker or leek; not as in daffodil) , comprising only six species, all of which are endemic to southern Africa. They are robust plants that grow well in shade and are also very long-lived. Despite their lush appearance, clivias are not “jungle” plants but neither are they frost-hardy so a winter minimum temperature of 10 degrees centigrade is recommended: such cool conditions during winter also promote the development of flower buds for the next season.

Clivias are used for their architectural landscaping usefulness and for the foliage as well as for their beautiful flowers.

Clivia miniata is the species most usually encountered; it bears annually one or more clusters of 10-20 open reddish or orange flowers; “Citrina” is a naturally occurring yellow-flowered variety of C. miniata. Other species of note are C. caulescens and C. nobilis, both of which bear clusters of pendant tubular flowers in colours of red, red/green, or yellow. All clivia species are relatively slow growing (4 years to flowering from seed is typical for C. miniata, up to 7 years for C. nobilis) and they also seem resistant to the usual methods of propagation employed in the horticultural industry – micro propagation, cuttings, division, bulbils etc. Although mature clivias will intermittently form offsets, the only practical way of propagation is from seed: fortunately the seed is large, easily handled and germinates readily without special handling provided it has been stored under cool conditions.

This combination of characteristics has led to clivias being seen as highly collectable and keeps the prices of mature plants high.

Considerable effort has been put in by breeders all over the world (notably Japan, China, South Africa,  Australia, New Zealand and the USA) to improve both the range of flower colours and growth habits available.

Flower colours now range from deep red, through pastel shades to deep yellow and white, leaves can be up to 10 cm wide and variegated forms are available.

Chinese and Japanese breeders have developed the Monk and Daruma styles of plant, in which the leaves are very wide and stubby, borne all in line, sometimes with raised or reticulated veins.

Clivia seeds germinate easily. Grow them in pots using John Innes No 2 or similar with extra perlite for drainage. They like good light but not hot sunshine. Feed occasionally during the growing season (spring to autumn) and water regularly – they can withstand drought but do appreciate regular watering.

Plants reach flowering size typically after four years from seed and should be potted on every year or so until maturity when they will require 12″ pots or larger.”