Roundup: Visitors swarm to southern Namibia to get glimpse of Sandhof lilies
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E-mail Xinhua, March 5, 2020
WINDHOEK, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Good rains in Namibia had resulted in the blooming of Sandhof lilies, a flower which only blooms after very specific climatic events.
The lilies, which can be found in the South of Namibia in a town called Maltahohe are currently in full bloom resulting in many flower lovers flocking to the small town to witness the blossom splendour.
After the long drought, Nangula Angula is one of those flower lovers who drove some 300 kilometers from capital Windhoek to enjoy this rare and dazzling display of nature.
"It is absolutely beautiful and amazing. What stays with you is the scent these flowers release. It takes you to another world of magic. "
This is the first time since the drought that the flowers have bloomed.
The flowers grow in a clay pan on farm Sandhoff situated about 40 kilometers outside Maltahohe.
The lilies only emerge when the pan contains six to twelve inches of water, something that occurs only every few years on average.
The flowering pleasure lasts five to seven days before they start changing colour from pink to white, and then they wither.
The Sandhof Lilies which belong to the Amaryllis plant species can be found in Namibia although they do appear in Botswana but not very frequently.
In a previous interview, renowned botanists Herta Kolberg said when the plants appear, there are big black beetles, about 4.5 cm in length, with red spots, on the plants.
According to him, the beetles are proboscis species (Brachycerus) that feed on this plant type.
Not only Namibians have had the pleasure of witnessing this beautiful wonder. Over the past weekend, some foreign tourists visiting Namibia diverted their schedules to get a glimpse of this phenomenon.
Owner of the Farm, Mark Morgan said, "the flowers were exceptionally beautiful this year because the pan where the flowers grow had no grass."
"Because of the drought, the field was clear and there were no shrubs. Thus the flowers bloomed to their full glory," Morgan said.
He added that about 2,000 people from all over the country and outside visited the farm.
"We received visitors from Germany, South Africa, Belgium and the United Kingdom. We opened for the whole week from sunrise to sunset. About two thirds of the visitors were tourists while the remaining third were locals," he said.
He said that people came with camping chairs to just sit and enjoy the wonder.
The lilies also brought good business to local accommodation establishments in the area with most of them fully booked.
Manager at Maltohe Hotel Claude' De Klerk said the hotel was usually busy.
"We were very busy that we did not even find time to go and experience the beauty of the flowers ourselves. The hotel received over 500 bookings which doesn't happen always," De Klerk said.
De Klerk is only regretful that the flowers do not last that long but is however thankful that such a beautiful site does exist. Enditem
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