Common Name:

General Information

Boophone disticha is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a large, semi-underground bulb that is up to 25cm in diameter. It produces strap-shaped leaves up to 50cm long and 4cm wide, the leaves being arranged in a very distinctive fan-shaped manner. The plant flowers annually whilst it is still leafless[, , ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its interesting form and for the sweetly scented flowers that are produced at the beginning of the growing season[, ].

Known Hazards

The bulb contains alkaloids and is very poisonous[]. Plants growing in some shade are said to be more potent than those growing in full sun[]. The plants are known to be poisonous to cattle and sheep[]. The bulb has been used as an arrow poison[].
The name sore-eye flower refers to the fact that if a person is exposed to the open flowers in a confined space; it may lead to sore eyes and even to a headache[]

Botanical References

Range

Eastern and sothern Africa - Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, south through much of Africa to South Africa.

Habitat

Grassland and wooded grassland; at elevations from 200 - 2,500 metres.[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Bulb
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Boophone disticha is native to warm, dry climates with a well defined dry season, occurring mainly in summer rainfall regions in its native range. It is not cold tolerant and can be killed at temperatures lower than around 4°c[, ].
This plant thrives in full sun in well-drained, sandy soils and also grows in rocky areas. The plants seem to grow equally well in well-drained, sandy soil and in hard ground, but they take a long time to flower after being moved[]. A very drought-tolerant, spring-flowering species that will flower even if it does not receive any water in winter[].
The plant can survive fires in its native range, and the seeds actually germinate very quickly if they fall on recently burnt land[].
In cultivation, the bulb should be planted in such a way that the neck and part of the bulb show above the ground. The bulbs do not produce flowers until they are quite large[].
The plant produces flowers whilst leafless. The short flowering stem can support 100 or more flowers[].The colour of flowers varies from shades of pink to red and are sweetly scented[].
The pedicels (flower stalks) elongate after flowering to form a large seedhead. This breaks off at the top of the scape (stalk) and tumbles across the veld dispersing the seed, which germinate immediately if in burnt soil[, ].
The large, round, sweetly scented flowerheads attract bees and flies, which pollinate the flowers. The plants also receive visits from ants[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Boophone disticha has many medicinal uses, for example traditional healers use it to treat pain and wounds[]. It is, however, a very toxic plant and its internal use should be avoided unless administered by a skilled and knowledgeable practitioner.

The dry outer scales of the bulb ae the main part used medicinally. They are analgesic, hypotensive, narcotic and vasodilatory[]. Although very toxic, a weak decoction is sometimes drunk or taken as an enema to treat various complaints including headaches, abdominal pain, weakness and eye conditions[]. Very weak decoctions are an effective sedative, though higher doses induce visual hallucinations, which are sometimes used for divination purposes. Even higher doses can be fatal[].
The scales are more commonly applied externally (often mixed with water, milk or oil) to treat conditions such as boils or septic wounds, in order to alleviate the pain and draw out the pus[[]. They are also used as an outer dressing after circumcision[].

Fresh leaves are applied topically to stop bleeding of wounds[].

Numerous alkaloids have been isolated from the plant. Buphanidrin is one of the main compounds, it has been shown to be an effective analgesic, but the effective dose and lethal dose are too close for the compound to be used therapeutically[].

Other Uses

The bulb yields a fibre[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe.

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