Natal Lily (Clivia miniata) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

Natal lily is a South African woodland plant and one of the most popular blooming houseplants for shade, with clusters of orange, funnel-shaped flowers above glossy, strap-like evergreen leaves. In frost-free parts of the US (zones 9–11) it can grow outdoors in shady beds. It is also called clivia or bush lily.

Appearance

Growth form: Clump-forming perennial with no true stem; leaves grow in two neat rows from a thick underground .
Leaves: Dark green, glossy, arching, and strap-shaped, about 16–24 in (40–60 cm) long.
Flowers: Funnel-shaped blooms in rounded clusters on a stout stalk, usually bright orange with a yellow throat; yellow forms exist. Some have a faint sweet scent.
Flowering time: In its South African home it flowers mainly in the southern spring, August to November.
Fruit: Round berries up to 2 in (5 cm) across, ripening bright red, with one to a few seeds.

Look-alikes

Clivia nobilis

Clivia nobilis has narrow, tubular flowers that hang downward and don't open wide; Natal lily's flowers face up or outward and flare open like trumpets.

Why they get mixed upSame genus, with similar leaves and orange-red flowers.

orange spider lilyLycoris sanguinea

Orange spider lily sends up a bare, leafless stalk in late summer (August–September); Natal lily always blooms with its thick, strap-like leaves around the stalk.

Why they get mixed upBoth are amaryllis-family plants with clusters of orange, funnel-shaped flowers on a stalk.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: houseplant
shade gardens
Range: Native to forests of eastern South Africa (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga) and Eswatini. In the US it is grown as a houseplant or, in USDA zones 9–11, outdoors in shade.
Preferred conditions: In the wild it grows in dappled forest shade on well-drained, humus-rich soil, often in large colonies. Outdoors it does best where average temperatures stay between about 41 °F and 84 °F (5–29 °C).

Growing it

Care: Give bright, indirect light or dappled shade and well-drained, rich soil. Water regularly in summer and less in winter, and protect from frost. Clumps can be divided, though divided plants may skip a season or two of bloom.
Propagation: By dividing clumps or from fresh seed, which sprouts in four to six weeks. Seedlings may not match the parent's flower color.
Toxicity: Contains and is poisonous; the rhizomes are reported to be especially toxic.

Name and classification

About the name: First described as Vallota miniata in 1854; older books also use Imantophyllum. An old common name used in some references is considered a deeply offensive slur in South Africa and is best avoided.
Varieties and forms: Variegated-leaf plants, compact short-leaved Japanese types, and large-flowered European strains are grown.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Status: Listed as Vulnerable on South Africa's national Red List; wild numbers are estimated to have dropped at least 40% over 90 years, mainly from medicinal harvesting and habitat loss.
Threats: Wild colonies are harvested for traditional medicine and by plant collectors, and forest is lost to plantations, farms, and development.

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: The genus honors Lady Charlotte Clive, Duchess of Northumberland, who first grew and flowered it in England; miniata refers to the red-lead color of the flowers.
In South Africa the roots and leaves are among the most traded traditional medicines.