Whiteheadia bifolia

This species is one of my definite favorites, and also one of the most unusual species I have grown, which takes a bit of looking after. Definitely a plant for the specialist but indeed they are a real talking point when you have them in your care. Conditions for looking after them are fairly specific but they are not hard to keep if you know and follow their conditions. I now have quite a lot of them, having grown them from seed produced from my first acquisitions. I always put one pot on my front verandah near my house entrance and they never cease to attract a question or a remark about their genuine peculiarity.

Whiteheadia is from the Hyacinthaceae family with only one species, Whiteheadia bifolia. It is a monotypic species, and the bulb is globbose with brown membranous tunics.

bifolia: having two leaves.

Flowering time is July/ August.

Common name is bobbejaanskoen.

This species is widespread and plants grow in crevices and in rocky places on hills and mountains. They grow usually on south facing aspects in shady conditions. Distribution is from Clanwilliam northwards through Namaqualand into Southern South West Africa and Namibia.

The Whiteheadia species is named after the Reverend Henry Whitehead, who lived from 1817 to 1884. He was an Anglican missionary who collected in South Africa from 1855 to 1861. He travelled mainly in the Namaqualand and Tulbagh areas.

It only produces two leaves, which are very large, on opposite sides, as you see in the image of my plant.

The leaves are round to oblong and have very conspicuous veins. The leaves are very brittle and can break very easily. When you touch them, they have a felt- like feel to them. I remember breaking a leaf off quite accidentally whilst examining them when I first grew them and have always treated them very gently since then. They can be 30 cm by 20 cm. but are usually smaller

Flowers on the Whiteheadia species are very small. The flowers are produced on a long spike. They are produced right along the spike and open progressively up the stem from the bottom to the top in a dense terminal spike. They are a greenish color and very unusual. They produce large round bracts.

The fruit is a capsule of small, subglobose seeds. These seed are produced in large numbers and my first plants produced more than I could use. I watched the growth cycle very carefully and used a small paintbrush to help fertilization by moving pollen from flower to flower, although I have found in recent years this is not really necessary.

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