Lapeirousia schimperi

Widespread across tropical and southern Africa, from Ethiopia and Sudan to Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and Botswana, Lapeirousia schimperi (now Afrosolen schimperi) is a cormous plant of the Iridaceae, growing in seasonally damp ground. Its bell-shaped corm, with a brown fibrous tunic, produces a branched stem 20 to 100 cm tall in the rainy season. The large white flowers, with a narrow tube 10 to 15 cm long, open in late afternoon, stay fragrant through the night — likely pollinated by hawk moths — and wilt the next day. It needs moist soil while growing and a dry dormancy at rest.