Sandersonia – the ant’s lantern
This is also the perfect plant for pots, provided you insert a stake in the centre of the container that allows you to tie growing stems to it for support.
You know those magical paper lanterns with candles illuminating them that people let loose into the sky at weddings? It’s a mesmerising procession to watch – all those orangey-yellow-hued lantern shapes floating overhead. It’s a similar view to what ants get to enjoy when looking up at the orange lantern-shaped blooms of Sandersonia, aptly known by its common name: Chinese lantern.
Except that these flowers don’t disappear into thin air – they actually stay flowering for over a fortnight. Dangling on dainty stems, they’re a magnificent sight to behold. Unfortunately the rarity of this indigenous plant means that not too many ants (or humans) get to enjoy them in the wild, particularly due to agricultural expansion and indiscriminate picking in their original natural habitats of grassland and forest margins in the Eastern Cape, Swaziland and southern Mpumalanga. However, lucky hikers can still find this endangered species growing on the slopes of the Drakensberg Mountains, and home gardeners have the advantage of being able to plant them from seed or corm.
The fact that there’s only one species of Sandersonia in existence (Sandersonia aurantiaca) makes it even more unique. First identified on Field’s Hill near Durban and Swartkops Hill near Pietermaritzburg by a Scottish journalist and amateur botanist, John Sanderson, in 1852, this plant was subsequently named after this honorary secretary of the KwaZulu-Natal Horticultural Society. Also known as Christmas bells, Sandersonia’s come into bloom over the festive season, from December all the way through to March. Bulbs should be planted between August and October, in well-draining, well-aerated, slightly acidic soil – combine fine, sifted compost, river sand and vermiculite for ultimate results.
Plant the corm 5cm below the ground, with each one spaced 10cm away from the next (it has two swollen, jointed lobes and should be planted horizontally). Water immediately after planting, and then don’t water the soil again until the first leaf shoots appear, after which you should water well once a week. Sandersonia is not suited to over watering as the bulbs are prone to fungal attacks when this occurs, so take care during dormancy too, allowing the bulbs to dry out completely in the winter months. When handling these corms, do so gently as they are rather brittle.
This is also the perfect plant for pots, provided you insert a stake in the centre of the container that allows you to tie growing stems to it for support. To ensure adequate water drainage, place about 2cm of stones or bark chips at the bottom of a deep pot with a 25cm diameter. Choose a spot that receives good sunlight in the morning, with semi-shade in the afternoon, and where there is not much wind. The flowers will grow within two months of the first shoots emerging, and will bloom amid lance-shaped leaves that are arranged alternatively along the narrow stem. These can be cut for vases when the bottom three or four lantern-blooms are in full colour (the still-maturing upper flowers will continue to develop and colour up during their time in the vase).
Due to its flowers lasting up to two weeks in a vase, Sandersonia is a popular species in ikebana, the spiritually based, minimal Japanese floral art form that emphasises a plant’s shape, line and form. Now imagine being an ant in Japan.
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