Clivia caulescens in the ground
Epiphytic Clivia cualescens
Narrow flowers Clivia caulescens
Clivia caulescens leaves
Clivia caulescens in flower
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Clivia caulescens, a plant with drooping flowers
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Easy to recognize thanks to its aerial stem and drooping flowers, Clivia caulescens belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. Native to the undergrowth of southern Africa, this variety is endangered in its natural habitat. But it is multiplying in our latitudes as a houseplant.
How to recognize Clivia caulescens?
Clivia caulescens grows to a height of 1.5 meters. It is a perennial with a bushy, spreading habit.
Most Clivia species, such as clivia miniata and clivia nobilis, are aculeate. In mature Clivia caulescens, the underground rhizome becomes an aerial stem.
Green foliage persists all year round. The leaves are intertwined and can reach 70 centimetres in length. Coriaceous and rigid, they have a pronounced midrib.
Clivia caulescens flowers, even when grown indoors. Flowers bloom in umbels of 10 to 20 on a tall flowering spike. Tubular and drooping, they are orange-red with greenish tips. Their bright yellow stamens protrude from the petals.
When pollinated, the flowers give rise to fleshy, ovoid berries ranging in color from pale green to red.
Clivia caulescens is toxic to animals and humans. Its sap contains alkaloids. This substance causes digestive problems when ingested, and irritation when it comes into contact with the skin. Remember to keep your plant out of reach of your dog or cat, and to protect yourself when pruning or repotting.
Our maintenance tips
Clivia caulescens require special care. Watering, exposure and fertilization vary according to the plant's cycle.
Watering
Water when the soil has completely dried. You can use reclaimed rainwater or mains water, provided it is not too hard.
Avoid over-watering. Moisten the substrate without soaking it. Too much water can rot the plant.
Be sure to remove any stagnant water from the saucer or planter. It could also rot the roots.
After the dormant phase, when the bud appears and until flowering.
When the soil is dry on the surface, for about five centimetres, water generously, but without flooding the pot. Use non-calcareous water, such as rainwater. If you don't have any, you can use tap water that has been left to stand for 24 hours. Always ensure that the water is at room temperature.
As with most plants, stagnant water causes roots to rot. If your Clivia caulescens pot is on a saucer, empty it after watering. If your plant is too large to be moved, raise the pot above the saucer (by placing it on gravel or clay balls) or remove the saucer.
After flowering, a growth phase begins for your Clivia caulescens.
Clivia caulescens like to keep roots cool. Water when the substrate surface is dry (about one centimetre) with water at room temperature. Preferably use non-calcareous water, such as rainwater.
After watering, don 't let the water stagnate in the dish or pot, as it may rot the roots.
Spray
Your clivia caulescens hates wet foliage. You must not mist the plant.
Repotting
After your Clivia caulescens has flowered, it's time to repot.
Your Clivia caulescens likes it cramped. Re-pot when the roots escape from the pot or have colonized the entire space.
Choose a pot with holes two or three centimetres wider and deeper than the previous one. Pour a drainage layer (clay balls, gravel, small pebbles, etc.) in the bottom.
Top up with potting soil for green plants, enhanced with perlite or sand. Plant your Clivia caulescens in the center and add substrate.
Top up with potting soil for green plants, enhanced with perlite or sand. Plant your Clivia caulescens in the center and add substrate.
Fertilization
Fertilize your plant to support its growth.
Add flowering plant fertilizer to watering water.
Fertilize your Clivia caulescens to stimulate its growth.
Add nutrients with a green plant fertilizer.
Cleaning
The leaves of your Clivia caulescens accumulate dust. It interferes with photosynthesis and encourages the appearance of parasites. Clean them with a clean, damp sponge.
Remember that clivia caulescens is toxic. Wear gloves when dusting.
Cutting
Wait until the end of flowering to propagate your Clivia caulescens.
After a few years, clivia caulescens gives rise to shoots. You can use them to propagate your plant. Wait until the shoot has at least three leaves, each measuring at least 20 centimetres, before separating it from the mother plant.
Obtain a perforated pot. Fill the bottom with potting soil for green plants.
Plant your cutting and fill with substrate. Tamp and water to remove air bubbles.
Disease / Threat
Information
| Family | Amaryllidaceae - Amaryllidaceae |
| Type | Clivia - Clivia |
| Species | Clivia caulescens - Clivia caulescens |
| Lifecycle | Perennial |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Exposures | |
| Substrats | |
| Planting method |
In pots |
| Categories | |
| Tag |
Toxic |
| Origin |
South Africa |
| Hardiness (USDA) | 10b |
| Leaf color |
|
| Flower colors |
|
| Fruit colors |
|
Discover plants from the same family
Clivia miniata
Discover
Clivia nobilis
Discover
Agapanthus africanus
Discover
Early Agapanthus
Discover
Find out more
