It was a stroke of luck to discover this plant in flower when by chance I’d wandered off a coastal hiking track (Hoek van Bobbejaan at the Cape of Good Hope Reserve), to shelter from the wind. The tough spider lily (Ferraria crispa), a cormous perennial belongs to that fabulous plant family, the iridaceae. The flowers only last for one day and there it was, a single bloom growing discreetly under a granite outcrop. One of it’s common names – “Inkpotjie” or Little inkpot fits it’s speckled description rather aptly.
Nature on the Edge 
What a gorgeous flower. It makes me think of passionfruit!
Thanks Su Leslie, yes it does have a bit of a similarity to the passionfruit. Amazing construct of stamens and that impressive stigma 🙂
Oh lucky you! What a cutie and I love its name Little Inkpot – very similar to a toad lily which look like speckled orchids.
Love these unusual blooms, freckled-speckled, and their descriptive common names 🙂 The toad lily sounds wonderfully off-beat.
Fabulous photo of this beauty. I have never seen anything like it (of course).
Thanks for visiting Bente 🙂 I was so happy to find this unusual plant in flower 🙂
So beautiful and unique. Reminds me a bit of my walking iris.
Yes, it’s freckled complexion has it in a different category 🙂 I googled the ‘walking iris’ intrigued by it’s name. Neat that it can form plantlets off the bloom, and ‘walk’ it’s ongoing species. Nature really does inspire 🙂
Yes, I can’t imagine my life without large doses of nature.
:):):)
well spotted and thank you for sharing your sighting
Appreciate your visit, thanks Paula 🙂
Stunning, I’ve never seen patterns like it on a flower!
All designed to attract flies and has it also has slightly rank scent! Clever how nature puts it altogether 🙂
Beautiful
Wow! Fascinating.
Isn’t a neat little species…. and pollinated by flies, so it has a slightly rank scent.
What a serendipitous find!
Yes 🙂 this section of the Cape of Good Hope reserve is quite remarkable for it’s species…. seeing many unusual plants after the March 2015 fire.
A beauty! Reminds me of a passionflower.
Yes, true it has a similarity of form to the passionflower though the passionflowers have a complexity of stigma and stamens – such showpiece of design😊 I love the ‘crinkliness’ of the spider lilies petals.
Nice shot!
Fascinating – and inkpot is the perfect name.