A firecracker of a plant!

Every year from about late summer to early autumn (February to March), a flower stalk sprouts from the ground, before any leaves sprout, producing a cluster of around 20 to 80 scarlet red blooms that face upward, serving as a rather neat landing pad for sunbirds, the chief pollinators of this plant. The Candelabra plant (Brunsvigia orientalis) usually only reaches blooming size at six to eight years old, and once the flower dries up, around May, it falls off the stalk and rolls around in the wind like tumbleweed, spreading its seeds. There are generally six large tongue-shaped leaves that spread out flat against the ground. Leaves start to die down from about October and the bulb lies dormant during summer.

Other names for this flower include candelabra flower, king candelabra, chandelier lily, chandelier plant, and sore-eye flower.

Panthera Africa Mourns Loss Of Pema

Pema, a beautiful 18-year-old cheetah that has been a big part of Panthera Sanctuary for the past five years, sadly had to be euthanised on 25 February due to severe arthritis and acute liver failure. Pema (meaning lotus flower) joined Panthera with her brother, Jampa, in 2018. The two cheetahs had been orphaned at an early age and after a period of hand-rearing, were surrendered to a rescue centre. As they weren’t able to be reintroduced to the wild, they remained at the rescue centre until such time as they were relocated to Panthera to live out their remaining years under special care. Jampa passed away in 2019.