Xeronema callistemon

We are located in Wanganui New Zealand on the West Coast of the North Island & experience a very different climate from Bill on the East Coast at Tauranga. Whilst we have in the past had as many as nine flowers on a plant we normally only get one to three.
Regards Ian & Jocelyn Bell (November 2, 2006)

The spectacular red flowering Poor Knights lily, Xeronema callistemon, is an outstanding but little know plant, which was discovered on the Poor Knights Islands in 1924. It has handsome tussocks of bright green flax-like foliage from which spring the three feet flower spikes which terminate in great trusses of blossom. The flowers are made up of nectar-filled florets crowded on a horizontal stalk, almost in the manner of a bottle brush. The flowers last for a long time and their development and gradually changing colour from green to crimson is most fascinating. Though quite easy to grow in any free, loose soil where it gets plenty of sun, its cultivation is not fully understood. It has been known to grow for years in a sunny part of a cactus house, without showing any sign of flowering. On the other hand, this magnificent species grown outside in tubs, can be seen blooming profusely.

Bill Dijk (Nov 5, 2002)
Tauranga, New Zealand