phylogenetic tree found by analysis of both nuclear and plastid DNA in a 2004 study showed that Scadoxus is most closely related to Haemanthus: Scadoxus was originally separated from Haemanthus by Rafinesque in 1838. His type species, Scadoxus multiflorus, had been described as Haemanthus multiflorus by Thomas Martyn in 1795. This separation was ignored by most workers until 1976, when Scadoxus was recognised as a distinct genus by Ib Friis and Inger Nordal. Haemanthus species are southern in distribution, form true bulbs and have 2n = 16 chromosomes, whereas Scadoxus species are found throughout tropical Africa, do not all form bulbs and have 2n = 18 chromosomes. The leaves of the two genera are also different. The leaves of Scadoxus species are thin, spirally arranged, with a distinct stalk (petiole); in some species their bases form a pseudostem. The leaves of Haemanthus species are thicker, opposite, without a distinct petiole, and never form a pseudostem. Species , the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families accepts the following nine species, one with three subspecies: Nordal and Duncan explored the relationship between eight of the species in a 1984 analysis based on morphological features (the little-known Scadoxus longiflorus was excluded). Their preferred cladogram was: The main division is between a group which does not have bulbs, only rhizomes, and one which has bulbs, usually with rhizomes as well. Distribution and habitat The genus as a whole is distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Arabian Peninsula. It has been introduced into parts of Mexico. The most widely distributed species is Scadoxus multiflorus, whose subspecies S. m. subsp. multiflorus is found throughout tropical and southern Africa and is the only member of the genus found in the Arabian Peninsula. By contrast, Scadoxus cyrtanthiflorus is found only in the Rwenzori Mountains on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Most species are found in tropical forests, where they grow in warm, moist conditions in shade, either in soil or as epiphytes. The three species found in temperate regions of South Africa are more bulbous in habit than the tropical species; Scadoxus puniceus has been found growing in sand dunes and dry cliff faces. Cultivation The cultivation of Scadoxus species has been described by Jonathan Hutchinson, the UK National Plant Collection holder for the genus. All species occur naturally in areas of summer rainfall, and in cultivation tend to start in