Asparagaceae
Eriospermum

Eriospermum kiboense K.Krause

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 48: 356 (1912)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to Zimbabwe. It is a tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: low confidence
[AERP]

Eriosphermaceae, Christopher Whitehouse, B.A.. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1996

Morphology General Habit
Plants 16-55 cm., flowering before the leaves.
Vegetative Multiplication Tubers
Tuber pyriform to irregular, up to 5 cm. long, 3.5 cm. wide; skin fawn, tough and smooth; flesh white.
Morphology Leaves Leaf sheaths
Old leaf-sheaths up to 9 cm. long.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf solitary, suberect; sheath exserted up to 6 cm., ± 3 mm. diameter, terete, reddish purple; blade broadly elliptic to lanceolate, up to 14 cm. long, 9 cm. wide, bright green above, paler beneath, coriaceous, margins entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncle 14-45 cm. long, 2-3 mm. diameter, red tinged towards the base, glaucous green above; peduncular bract exserted 4-7 cm., lower part sheathing, becoming leaf-like, broadly ovate, up to 4 cm. long, 3 cm. wide, acute; raceme 3-16 cm. long, up to 3 cm. wide, cylindrical to narrowly conical, with 10-50 flowers; bracts subovate, acuminate, somewhat saccate, ± 1 mm. long, membranous, colourless; pedicels up to 1.3 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 3-10 mm. across, rotate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal
Tepals 3-6 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, equal to subequal, white to very pale green with a darker green to brown midnerve.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments subequal, oblong, erect, 2.5-3 mm. long; anthers small, green.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary ovoid to globose, bright green, 1-2 mm. long, 1-2 mm. wide; style cylindrical, ± 1.5 mm. long, white.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit up to 9 mm. long, 9 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 2-3 mm. long, hairs up to 7 mm. long.
Figures
Fig. 1.
Habitat
Grassland or semi-shade in open woodland; 1000-2250 m.
Distribution
T2 T4 T7
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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 Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0