Chlidanthus is a small genus in the Amaryllidaceae family mainly from South America. DNA sequencing has found that it is a member of the Eustephieae tribe, sister to Eustephia, Hieronymiella, and Pyrolirion. Only one of the species is widely grown. Most of the species have narrow basal leaves and an umbel of funnel-shaped to flat yellow, pink, or red flowers.
Chlidanthus boliviensis Photographed in flower on a trip to Bolivia by John Carr who found the plants in Santa Cruz province near to Valle Grande some 400 km away from its only known locality in Tunari National Park.
Chlidanthus fragrans is a species native to the Peruvian Andes. It is one of the most fragrant bulbous flowers, with a scent of citrus. It blooms in late spring or early summer. It has a reputation as a shy bloomer to many who have grown it. Suggestions from Alex Cespedes of Bolivia who has collected and published on the genus is that they come from a dry and cold habitat where they stay dormant for half a year (winter and spring) and only starts to bloom and grow with a flush of rain during late spring or early summer. These insights suggests that the bulbs should be put to dormancy for half a year under dry and cool conditions and watered after their dormancy period to stimulate blooming.
The first two photos were taken by Osmani Baullosa. Photos 3 and 4 were taken by Hans Joschko who has trouble getting it to bloom reliably, but finds the flowers really nice when they do bloom. His pictures show the long tube.
