Bulbine asphodeloides (L.) Spreng.

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb 25–60 cm tall, erect, glabrous; plants clustered, few to many arising from a woody rhizome.

Vegetative Multiplication Rhizomes

Rhizome 1–5(10) × 0.6–1 cm, subcylindrical with spreading fibrous to ± fleshy roots.

Morphology Stem

Stems 0–7 cm long, simple or branched, woody, sheathed by persistent closely overlapping hyaline-margined leaf bases, with adventitious roots in older plants.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 6–numerous, closely spaced on a contracted stem or apparently basal, erect to arching, fleshy grass-like, ± abruptly expanded and sheathing at the base; the bases broadly hyaline-winged, successively overlapping bases of inner leaves; blade 10–30(50) cm long and 2–5 mm wide, linear-terete, flat or concave on the adaxial surface and tapering to the apex, expanded and winged in the lower 1–3 cm.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles

Peduncle usually 1 per branch, ascending-erect, terete, ± fleshy becoming stoutly rigid, up to c. 43 cm long and 2–4 mm in diameter.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Raceme usually overtopping the leaves, ± densely many-flowered, cylindrical, 5–15 cm long increasing to c. 20 cm long in fruit; bracts 5–7 mm long, finely subulate, broadly hyaline-winged toward the base with hyaline auricles, lacerate-fimbriate on the margins and particularly the auricles, persistent; pedicels ± closely spaced, filiform or slender, patent, mostly 7–20 mm long after anthesis, straight, becoming ± curved in the fruiting inflorescence, often ± strongly recurved at the apical end in barren pedicels, persistent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal

Tepals yellow, up to 6 mm long, inner 3 mm wide, outer 2 mm wide, elliptical, persistent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Filaments c. 2–3 mm long, densely bearded in the upper part with long yellow hairs; anthers c. 1 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style c. 3 mm long, terete.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule not inflated when mature, substipitate, c. 4 mm long and 5 mm wide, 3-lobed, depressed at the apex.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 2–4 per locule, 1–1.5 mm long, 3-sided, with sharp angles, brownish-black, sometimes with pale dots and/or a ± reticulate pattern of low sharp incipient ridges on the surface.