Ansellia africana v.aurea
Ansellia is a monotypic genus, and appears to be present in every country of Africa south of the Sahara desert - so it is spread over an enormous area. There is quite a bit of variation in many respects - size of flowers, and especially colour ; maybe if anyone ever does get round to DNA analysis they will conclude that it is a group of closely related species.. If you refer to IOSPE and see not only the alternatives at the top of the entry but those added below, you will see that all forms have yellow flowers with flecks, or spots or blotches of brown, and the brown can be reddish . I suspect that the nearly red flower is a matter of the light used for the photograph.
I have one of this kind - not yet flowered, but currently in spike ( labelled as A.africana nigra) but from the outside of the buds I doubt if it is going to be very dark.
The plant I show was labelled as per thread name ; an alternative is to call it A.nilotica 'lutea'. Take your choice.
It is a first flowering,on a cane maybe 8 inches high. I have seen Ansellias with canes twice the stature, and with branched spikes of 30 and more flowers - but one has to start somewhere.
In the wild it grows in forks high in tall deciduous forest trees in dryish areas ( Mahogany was has been suggested to me when I was looking for it in Africa recently ) but most agree that it needs to be moist in cultivation. The best plant I ever saw was swimming in wet rockwool, with canes almost an inch thick and two foot high , and the spikes were branched and long - so I grew this plant of mine in S/H. I'm not convinced I have it right, and I'll de-pot after flowering and look at the roots and then decide how to carry on.
Any experience to be shared about cultivation will be appreciated - as always.
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