Saddle-and-Bell Plant Care
Boophone disticha Herb.
Updated · Sources · How we source care data
Boophone disticha is a bulbous tropical and subtropical flowering plant, native to Africa. It is commonly called the century plant or tumbleweed.
Every 14–21 days
Full sun to partial shade
50–80°F
40–70%
At a glance
How do you care for Saddle-and-Bell?
Water Saddle-and-Bell every 14–21 days, letting the top layer of soil dry out between waterings, and give it full sun to partial shade. It prefers temperatures of 50–80°F (10–27°C) and 40–70% humidity. Fertilize it every 6 months during the growing season. It is reported as toxic to pets, so keep it out of reach of pets.
Where Is the Saddle-and-Bell Native To?
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Djibouti
- DR Congo
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- The Gambia
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
What Is the Saddle-and-Bell?
Saddle-and-Bell (Boophone disticha) belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family within the Boophone genus. Saddle-and-Bell is native to Africa. Saddle-and-Bell is also known as Spider Lily, Bushman's Poison, Cape Cobra Lily.
Saddle-and-Bell displays a clumping perennial growth habit, reaching up to 2.5 ft tall with a spread of approximately 2 ft. Saddle-and-Bell produces large clusters of pink or white flowers on tall stalks.
Leaf size: approximately 12 inches.
How Often Should You Water a Saddle-and-Bell?
Boophone disticha requires watering every 14–21 days. Allow the top layer of soil to dry between waterings to prevent root rot. Reduce watering frequency during winter when growth slows.
Watering Frequency
Every 14–21 days
Let soil partially dry between waterings
What Light Does the Saddle-and-Bell Need?
Saddle-and-Bell thrives in full sun to partial shade.
Light Requirement
Full sun to partial shade
What Temperature and Humidity Does the Saddle-and-Bell Prefer?
Boophone disticha grows best at temperatures of 50–80°F. Saddle-and-Bell prefers humidity levels of 40–70%.
Temperature
50–80°F
Humidity
40–70%
What Soil Mix Works Best for a Saddle-and-Bell?
Well-draining sandy soil mix with added organic matter. Good drainage is essential for Saddle-and-Bell to prevent waterlogging, which leads to root rot and fungal issues.
How Often Should You Fertilize a Saddle-and-Bell?
Feed Saddle-and-Bell every 6 months during the growing season (spring and summer) with a balanced fertilizer diluted to the strength on the label.
Pause feeding in autumn and winter, when growth slows, and never fertilize dry soil — water first.
Fertilizing
Every 6 months
During the growing season
The PlantoScan app can remind you when to water and when to fertilize each plant.
How Do You Repot a Saddle-and-Bell?
Repot every 2-3 years in early spring. Choose a pot one size larger than the current container, and ensure it has drainage holes to allow excess water to escape.
How Do You Propagate a Saddle-and-Bell?
Saddle-and-Bell can be propagated through offsets, seeds. Similar propagation techniques also apply to haemanthus sneeze-bulb plant care, which shares the same genus.
Is the Saddle-and-Bell Toxic to Pets and Children?
Toxic (caution)
Reported as toxic in our plant data. Not verified by the ASPCA.
This is a general caution, not veterinary or medical advice. If your pet ate a plant, contact your vet or animal poison control.
See all plants toxic to cats and plants toxic to dogs.
What Pests and Diseases Affect the Saddle-and-Bell?
Saddle-and-Bell is susceptible to aphids, spider mites, mealybugs. Inspect the foliage regularly, especially along leaf undersides and stems. Treat infestations promptly with insecticidal soap or neem oil to prevent spread.
Yellow leaves, brown tips or drooping? See common plant problems and how to fix them.
What USDA Hardiness Zone Does the Saddle-and-Bell Need?
Saddle-and-Bell grows outdoors in USDA Zone 12a. It survives winters down to planting zone 12a. Saddle-and-Bell is native to Africa. In cooler regions, grow Saddle-and-Bell as a houseplant or bring it indoors before the first frost.
Hardiness Zone
Zone 12a
Keep exploring plants
Saddle-and-Bell is one of many species covered in the complete plant care and identification guide, which groups plants by genus, attribute, and popularity.
It belongs to the Boophone genus — compare its care with other Boophone species on PlantoScan.
Boophone is part of the Amaryllidaceae plant family — browse all Amaryllidaceae genera and species.
Saddle-and-Bell thrives in bright light and direct sun — see other bright-light plants.
Related Plant Care Guides
Closely related plants with similar care requirements:
Sources
- Scientific name & taxonomy: Boophone disticha Herb., family Amaryllidaceae (first published in Bot. Mag. 52: t. 2578 (1825)) — World Flora Online record, IPNI name record.
- Pet toxicity: Saddle-and-Bell is reported as toxic to pets in our plant data (not verified by the ASPCA), so treat it with caution. Checked against the ASPCA plant list; any other toxicity note on this page comes from PlantoScan's plant database.
- Hardiness zone: USDA Zone 12a, calculated from the plant's minimum temperature.
- Care values(watering, light, temperature, humidity, soil, fertilizing): PlantoScan's plant database, filtered by automatic plausibility checks — values that fail them are hidden. How we source and check plant data.
Spotted a mistake? Email info@upvision.media with the page link — we check and correct reported errors.
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