The histony, taxonomy, distribution and cultivation requirements of the South African Lachenalia salteri W.F. Barker (Hyacinthaceae) are discussed: a full botanical description and illustration are provided. Lachenalia, a genus of about 120 speciesof deciduous bulbous geophytes, is endemic to southern Africa where its distribution extends from southwestern Namibia in a broad band across the western, central, southern and southeastern parts of South Africa. It is the largest member of the southernAfrican genera of the family Hyacinthaceae and is concentrated in the winter rainfall zone of the subcontinent, but also extends into areas of intermediate and summer rainfall. It occurs across a wide variety of habitats and vegetation types, from just above sea level along the western and southern Atlantic coastlines of the Western Cape Province (as for L. rubida Jacq.), to altitudes in excess of 2000 metres on the interior mountains of the Eastern Cape Province (as for L. campanulata Baker). In Britain several species and their selections have been cultivated for centuries and the genus enjoys world-wide appeal among bulb enthusiasts as a highly rewarding container subject.
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