Skip to main content
This species is accepted, and its native range is Ethiopia to S. Africa, Yemen.
Bulbine abyssinica

[FZ]

Asphodelaceae, S. Kativu. Flora Zambesiaca 12:3. 2001

Morphology General Habit
Tufted perennial herb, 10–66 cm tall, glabrous, with 1–4 plants from a small woody vertical rhizome; rhizome 6–15 × 5–10 mm, shortly cylindrical to ± shallowly obconic-hemispherical; roots numerous spreading long, fibrous to fleshy fusiform.
Morphology Stem
Aerial stems absent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 5–numerous, erect to arching, fleshy grass-like, broadly winged and sheathing at the base, successively enfolding the bases of inner leaves and peduncle; blade up to 60 cm long and 2–6 mm wide, subterete or narrowly linear to very narrowly strap-shaped at least when dry, tapering to the apex; bases forming a column up to c. 8 cm long and 5–10 mm wide surrounding the peduncle base, outer leaf bases sometimes breaking down into a persistent fibrous sheath; wings clasping, hyaline, up to 8 mm wide on each side of the blade, tapering upwards into the blade.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncle usually 1, ascending-erect, terete, ± fleshy becoming stoutly rigid, 10–50 cm long and 2–5 mm in diameter.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Raceme mostly densely many-flowered, ± cylindrical, increasing from 4 to 25 cm long in fruit; bracts persistent, with broad hyaline margins, c. 12 × 3–6 mm, lanceolate, ± auriculate; pedicels ± closely spaced, slender ascending-patent, mostly 8–25 mm long after anthesis, straight, persistent, becoming ± downcurved and more robust in the fruiting inflorescence.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal
Tepals yellow or yellow-green, ± persistent, up to 4.5–7 × 2–2.5 mm, oblong-cucullate, with a pronounced green midrib.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments 2–3 mm long, densely bearded in the upper part with long yellow hairs; anthers 1.5–2 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule not inflated when mature, stipitate, 4.5–6 mm long including a c. 1 mm long stalk, 3.5–5 mm wide, subglobose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds pyramidal, sharply angled, black when mature.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology Roots
Roots many, fleshy
Morphology Leaves
Leaves up to c. 40 x 0.5 cm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence up to c. 50 cm tall, dense-flowered in upper part; bracts c. 1 cm long; pedicels up to 2.5 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal
Tepals bright yellow, c. 8 mm long; filaments with yellow hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule subglobose, c. 4–5 mm long, constricted at the base.
Distribution
N1, 2 Ethiopia and southwards to South Africa; southern Arabia
Ecology
Altitude range 1350–2000 m.

[FTEA]

Asphodelaceae, Christopher Whitehouse. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2002

Morphology General Habit
Succulent perennial herb with a short vertical rhizome up to 1.5 cm long, 0.7–1.5 cm in diameter, sometimes caespitose; roots fleshy, fibrous, ± 2 mm in diameter, yellow-brown.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves fleshy, terete, sometimes slightly flattened, up to 54 cm long, 1–4 mm wide, expanding at the base into tubular sheaths 1.8–5.5 cm long, the outer leaves reduced to membranous sheaths and sometimes surrounded by the persistent remains of old leaf-sheaths.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Peduncle 10–65 cm long, becoming elongated with age, 1.5–3.5 mm wide; raceme 3–18 cm long, 1.5–5 cm in diameter and broadening to 7.5 cm in fruit; bracts cuspidate, 5–20 mm long, 1–3 mm wide at the base, attenuate into a filiform apex; pedicels 7–20 mm long at anthesis, extending up to 35 mm long in fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers yellow; tepals 5–7 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide; stamens 3–4 mm long; ovary ± 1 mm long; style 2–3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule globose to obovoid, 4–5 mm long, 4–5 mm in diameter, sometimes constricted at the base, topped by the persistent style at the apex, brown to black; seeds pyramidal, sharply 3-angled, ± 2.5 mm across.
Figures
Fig. 2 (p. 12).
Habitat
Dry bushland or grassland, often on shallow soil over rocks that soon dries out; (100–)600–2750(–3200) m
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8

Native to:

Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Provinces, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Free State, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Bulbine abyssinica A.Rich. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Milne-Redhead, E. [3113], Zambia 38423.000
Kenya 48087.000
Quartin-Dillon [177], Ethiopia K000256279 isotype
Baum, H. [731], Angola K000256280 holotype

First published in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2: 334 (1850)

Accepted by

  • Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Demissew, S. & Nordal, I. (2010). Aloes and other Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea, ed, 2: 1-351. Shama Books, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  • Edwards, S., Demissew, S. & Hedberg, I. (eds.) (1997). Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea 6: 1-586. The National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia & The Department of Systematic Botany, Upps.
  • Geerinck, D.J.L. (2015). Flore d'Afrique Centrale (Zaïre - Rwanda - Burundi), n.s., Asphodelaceae: 1-43. Jardin Botanique National de Belgique, Meise.
  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. MIM, Deurne.
  • Pope, G.V. (ed.) (2001). Flora Zambesiaca 12(3): 1-106. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Thulin, M. (ed.) (1995). Flora of Somalia 4: 1-298. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Troupin, G. (ed.) (1988). Flora du Rwanda 4: 1-651. Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale.
  • Whitehouse, C. (2002). Asphodelaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa: 1-18.
  • Wood, J.R.I. (1997). A Handbook of the Yemen Flora: 1-434. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Wood, J.R.I. (1997). A Handbook of the Yemen Flora: 1-434. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 4, (1995) Author: by M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]
  • Pickering, H. & Awale, A. I. (2018). Introduction to plants in Central Somaliland. Ponte Invisibile, Redsea Cultural Foundation.

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • A. Rich., Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2: 334, t. 97 (1850).
  • Agnew, A.D.Q. & Agnew, S., Upland Kenya Wild Flowers, ed. 2: 313, t. 143 (1994).
  • Blundell, Wild Fl. E. Afr.: 421, t. 408 (1987).
  • E. Lind & A. Tallantire, Some Common Flowering Plants of Uganda, ed. 2: 205, fig. 133 (1971).
  • Hanid in A.D.Q. Agnew, Upland Kenya Wild Flowers p. 674, fig. on 675 (1974).
  • Kativu in Kirkia 16: 42 (1996).
  • Maquet in Fl. Rwanda 4: 40, fig. 13/1 (1988).
  • Moriarty, Wild Fl. Malawi: 21, t. 11/5 (1975).
  • Polh. in Journ. E. Afr. Nat. Hist. Soc. 24: 9, fig. 9 (1962).
  • Sebsebe & Nordal in Fl. Ethiopia 6: 111, fig. 191.5 (1997).
  • Thulin in Fl. Somalia 4: 34, fig. 23 (1995).
  • Verd. in Fl. Pl. Afr. 34, t. 1350 (1961).

Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of Somalia
Flora of Somalia
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Science Photographs
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/