Bulbine favosa (Thunb.) Schult. & Schult.f.

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial herb 10–55(72) cm tall from a ± fleshy tuber-like base; plants solitary not clustered, erect, glabrous or leaves ± puberulous.

Vegetative Multiplication Tubers

Tubers 6–20 mm long and 7–25 mm in diameter, subglobose or ovoid and flattened at the base, usually with 3–5 radiating branches; branches thick fleshy, up to c. 7 cm long and 3–10 mm in diameter, deltoid or terete, tapering into long fibrous roots.

Morphology Stem

Stems absent.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves 5 to numerous, erect to arching, puberulous to minutely ciliolate on the margins and nerves outside or glabrous, fleshy grass-like, expanded and sheathing at the base; the bases successively overlapping bases of inner leaves, persisting as a cylindrical column of scarious hyaline sheaths which usually break down into numerous long fibres through the centre of which the new leaves and peduncle emerge, column 1.5–10 × 0.3–1 cm; blade fleshy, mostly 10–53 cm long and c. 2(3) mm in diameter, filiform to linear-terete.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles

Peduncles 1–3 per plant, erect, 7–40(50) cm long, terete.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Raceme ± laxly few- to many-flowered, (3)5–18(23) cm long, narrowly cylindrical, flowers and fruit often occurring together in the same raceme; bracts membranous, 2.5–5.5 mm long, ovate to lanceolate, with the midrib produced into a subulate apex, exauriculate, persistent; pedicels ± spaced, mostly erect to ascending sometimes spreading, filiform or slender, from c. 3–4 mm long increasing to c. 13 mm long in fruit, straight, ± recurved at the apical end in barren pedicels, persistent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal

Tepals yellow, 6–7.5 mm long, the inner 3–4 mm wide, the outer 1.5–2.5 mm wide, elliptic, persistent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Filaments c. 4–5 mm long, the outer densely bearded with long yellow hairs in the upper part, the inner bearded above but also with hairs along the margins to the base; anthers c. 1 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style 3–5 mm long, terete.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Capsule not inflated when mature, stipitate, c. 4–5 mm long and 3–3.5 mm wide, obovoid, ± shallowly 3-lobed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1–4 per locule, c. 2–3 mm, pyramidal, not winged, convex on the outer face with 2–3 flat inner faces tapering to the point of attachment, black, sometimes with a reticulate pattern of low incipient ridges on the surface.