Red star

In summer the damp meadows of the Maloti Mountains are covered in thousands of pink and white stars of this little Drakensberg plant.

Hypoxis baurii, formerly known as Rhodohypoxis baurii, is a small perennial with an underground tuber that forms tufts of narrow, hairy leaves a few centimetres long. From spring to late summer it produces numerous six-petalled flowers in pink, red or white, whose bases meet in the centre, hiding the stamens. It grows on shallow, moist soils in high-mountain grassland, along streams and in rock crevices, usually above 1,800 m. It is a popular rock-garden plant in Europe.

Significance in the country

Drifts of this plant in flower on damp grassland are among the most characteristic summer sights in Lesotho’s mountains and are showcased as an emblem of the flora of Maloti–Drakensberg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Where it grows

High-mountain grasslands and wetlands of the Maloti and Drakensberg mountains, especially in the eastern districts of Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka and Qacha’s Nek.

More: Wikipedia (en)