It is grown as an ornamental plant for its brilliantly coloured flowers, either in containers or in the ground in where the climate is suitable.

The bases of the leaves, the stalks or petioles, are tightly wrapped together to form a pseudostem or false stem, 5–60 cm (2–24 in) long.

The flowers are produced in an umbel at the top of a leafless stem (scape), 12–75 cm (5–30 in) long.

Both the pseudostem and the scape are often covered with reddish brown to dark violet spots.

[5] Differences between the three accepted subspecies have been summarized by Friis and Nordal, and are shown in the table below.

[1][7] The separation of Scadoxus from Haemanthus was ignored by most workers until 1976, when the two genera were again segregated by Ib Friis and Inger Nordal.

[8] Three subspecies are known:[2] The species is native to tropical and southern Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula.

longitubus is found across tropical West and Central Africa, including in Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

It is primarily a plant of moist, shady habitats, including savannah woodlands and forests along rivers and mountains.

An open, well-drained growing medium, largely organic in nature, is recommended.

multiflorus is produced for sale in large numbers by the Dutch horticultural industry.

katherinae has been described as "imposing",[11] sometimes reaching a height of 120 cm (4 ft), with a strong purple-spotted pseudostem.

"[11] In South Africa it can be grown in the open garden in the shade, in well-drained, light soil containing plenty of organic matter.

[14] The genus Scadoxus has some strongly toxic species, containing poisonous alkaloids lethal to animals, such as sheep and goats, that graze on the leaves or bulbs.