Identificaciones de andrew_hankey

The desert African hyacinth is mostly found in arid vegetation types, where the vegetation tends to be sparse and comprised mostly of grasses and small shrubs, with sparse tree cover. It occurs in the Northern and Eastern Cape, North West, Free State, Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces.

Deciduous bulbous plant, mostly solitary or few bulbs occurring together, up to 100 mm high. Bulbs are 50 × 40 mm, covered with densely clustered, purplish brown, persistent, dead bulb scales. The leaves are narrow, somewhat succulent and often marked with darker spots, although unspotted plants are not uncommon. The leaves, about 7–10 per bulb, are usually recurved and channelled towards the base.

Several (3–5) unbranched inflorescences are produced in early to mid-summer (October to December). The inflorescences are usually erect to begin with, but may become more floppy as they mature, resulting in them often hanging sideways out of the leaf rosette. The usually greenish purple to greenish pink flowers are arranged in a bottlebrush-like fashion towards the terminal end of the peduncle (main flower spike). Individual florets (small flowers) are attached to the peduncle by a slender green pedicel (flower stalk). Individual flowers display conspicuous maroon to pink anthers once open, with the lowest florets opening first.

The open nature of the flowers indicates that any visiting insect will probably effect pollination. The large fruits are as a result of the large seeds which it produces, most likely as an adaptation to the arid conditions it grows under. The seeds being larger, may have an advantage in terms of germination, since the larger seed may be able to store more reserves for the seedling, enabling it to survive the harsh desert-like conditions.

Uses

The genus is reported as being poisonous, although it is also reported that Bushmen eat the bulbs of this species, as well as L. revoluta. Ledebouria as a whole has been used medicinally in Africa for various purposes, including pregnancy, diarrhoea, influenza, backache, skin irritations, wound treatment, as well as lumbago.