Identifying a 20-Year-Old Heirloom Window Plant

A reader's "space plant" (grandmother's granddaughter) blooms every 2–3 years, has fleshy leaves, and a single colorful flower head.

Likely: Haemanthus (Blood Lily)

Characteristics match:

• Grows from a **bulb** (check below soil).
• Flower, bracts, and stem **same color**.
• Faint, **unpleasant floral odor**.
• Long-lived, sporadic bloomer.

Verification

Scratch soil surface to find the bulb. If no bulb or odor differs, it's another amaryllis relative. Photos of Haemanthus species attached for comparison.