Maltahöhe is a village in south-central Namibia close to the Swartland escarpment, about 110 km west of Mariental in the Hardap region. The Sandhoff Lily Pan is a clay plain in the southern region of Namibia near the town of Maltehohe. The highest concentration of the Sandhoff Lilies (Crinum paludosum) that belong to the Amaryllis plant species can be found here in this clay plain after the rains.
In the first week of March, it rained 19 mm on the Sandhoff Farm near Maltahohe and the 700-hectare clay pan was 15-20 cm underwater and thousands of Sandhoff lilies bloomed. Dirk Heinrich the photographer was there to capture the Lilies in Bloom. Namibian newspapers and Facebook sites have been stormed with photos of lilies.
There was a concentration of which could only be found in the Sandhoff. As the flowers grow older they discolor and become pink. This is the first time in four years where these lilies, could be seen. When the plants appear, there are big, black beetles about 4,5cm in length with red spots, on the plants. It is a probosci's species (Brachycerus ornatus) that feed on this plant type. “There are other lilies that are very similar to the Sandhoff lily here in Namibia, especially in the north of the country,” said the renowned botanist Herta Kolberg reports Kueisa Delta Adventures.
Visitors who would like to see the flowering lilies at Sandhoff have to get an entry ticket at Maltahöhe Hotel and get directions at the farm. The flowering pleasure lasts only a few days. It was reported that the second week of March also saw another spell of 15mm of rain. They will die off son as the Namibian sun reduces the life of the plant to a few days and the seedlings are very delicate. The Lilies give life to an almost permanent reproduction process. The last time this bloom happened was in summer 2016/2017.
Images copyright:Dirk Heinrich
