Sauromatum venosum Lake Tana Chasmanthium The near-black stems emerge with

The near-black stems emerge with the leaves tucked in behind the cobra head-shaped inflorescence

It needs well drained soils and it is very drought tolerant

which makes it obvious that they've never actually grown both plants

The black-green foliage emerges with a dramatic red edge that looks more like a Photoshop

This bizarre aster looks like a clump of arching green pipe cleaners

Sauromatum venosum Lake Tana Chasmanthium The near-black stems emerge withSauromatum venosum is a wide ranging species, from India to Africa. Virtually everything in cultivation is from India. Our offering of Sauromatum 'Lake Tana' comes from the Southern end of the range thanks to an Uwe Scharf 6,000' elevation collection from Ethiopia's Dek Island in the middle of Lake Tana. The inflorescence of Sauromatum 'Lake Tana', which emerges for us in mid May, is bright yellow, spotted along the edge with large blotches of purple.