Cleome is one of those genera that instantly earns its “spider flower” nickname. Most species carry airy, open blooms with whiskery, extended stamens that splay out like delicate legs, giving each flower a lively, almost firework-like look. The genus sits in the family Cleomaceae (once grouped with capers but now recognised as closer to mustards) and includes roughly 170 species of herbs and shrubs spread across warm regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

In southern Africa, Cleome is a classic summer-rainfall wildflower group: many species pop up after good rains on disturbed ground, sandy flats, rocky grassland, or savanna edges. Their quick growing habit, long flowering season, and strong nectar/pollen production make them brilliant “ecosystem helpers,” pulling in bees, butterflies, and other pollinators when the veld is alive. Several species are also used traditionally as leafy vegetables or medicinal plants elsewhere in Africa, while others have become beloved ornamentals worldwide.

For gardeners, Cleome offers a mix of indigenous charm and cottage-garden drama: tall spires, palmate leaves, and flowers ranging from soft lilac and magenta to bright yellow. Whether you’re building a water-wise indigenous meadow, boosting pollinators in a food garden, or simply wanting that airy “wild elegance” in a sunny bed, spider flowers are generous, tough companions.

Cleome macrophylla (syn. Cleome chilocalyx, C. inconcinna, C. nationiae)

Cleome macrophylla is a bold, indigenous spindlepod with a more robust presence than many of its cousins. It gives you tall summer growth and a generous spread of blooms, making it excellent for naturalistic beds and larger wildflower plantings where you want height, texture, and movement. It’s often referred to as the Large-leaved spindlepod.

This species is indigenous to southern Africa and extends widely through tropical Africa into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa’s warmer summer-rainfall regions. It’s an erect annual to short-lived perennial herb, frequently glandular and slightly sticky, with noticeably larger leaves than most Cleome species.

Flowers are usually pale purple to lilac in tone, sometimes varying between populations, and appear through the summer months after good rains.
After flowering it produces long pods packed with seed, and it can self-sow lightly if conditions suit. This is a lovely species for gardeners who want indigenous height and a soft mauve colour wash in midsummer.

Cleome macrophylla — sowing notes (large-leaved spindlepod of tropical/subtropical Africa)

Recorded widely through tropical Africa and into the summer-rainfall northeast of southern Africa, often in shallow soils over rock.

In SA it behaves like a robust summer annual/short-lived perennial: sow October to December in warm regions.

Sow shallowly with a light cover (about 2 mm). If germination is patchy, don’t panic — Cleome seed can benefit from a short after-ripening period, so older seed often sprouts more evenly.

Highveld/inland: start in trays in warmth and transplant once seedlings are sturdy. Coastal: direct sow after spring rains. It likes richer soil than the dune species but still needs good drainage.