A brightly-coloured herb or perennial in grassland and woodland. Red-orange flowers with a bright yellow centre on erect stems above bright green leaves from October to June. Leaves form rosettes from a central base, broad with wavy, unevenly lobed margins. Plant if full sun in well-drained acid soils. Sprouts annually as do many grassland species. Seed capsules react to moisture, splitting open explosively to ensure seed is distributed far from the mother plant. Wet hairs become sticky and adher to the soil to improve germination. Propagate by seed: Crossandra greenstockii seeds will usually germinate in 25-30 days, but germination can be erratic. Sow Crossandra greenstockii seeds on the surface of moist compost, use a translucent cover to allow in light and keep the compost humid and warm (do not place in direct sunlight). Images by Emmarie Otto