Amaryllidaceae
Boophone

Boophone disticha (L.f.) Herb.

First published in Bot. Mag. 52: t. 2578 (1825)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. South Sudan to S. Africa. It is a bulbous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Flora Zambesiaca Amaryllidaceae by C. Zimudzi, R.H. Archer, E.G. Kwembeya & I. Nordal

Vegetative Multiplication Bulbs
Bulb to 25 cm wide, partially exposed above ground.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves bluish-green, prominently nerved, stiff, up to 50 × 1.5–4.2 cm, glabrous, developing after the flowers; younger leaves with a toothed whitish cartilaginous margin.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Scape
Scape 5–25 cm long with a large roundish inflorescence; spathe valves 4–9 × 1–3.8 cm, erect in young inflorescences.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 10–200, pink to dark purple, closely packed into a ball, sweet-scented.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicels angular, 3–8.2 cm long at anthesis, elongating to 32 cm in fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth tube narrowly funnel-shaped, shorter than the segments, 0.3–1.2 cm long; segments gradually spreading, recurved towards the apex with slightly incurved margins, 20–30 × 2–4 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments 2.3–4.8 cm long; anthers yellow, about 3 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style up to 4.6 cm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 3-angled, elongate, up to 4 cm long, with irregular dehiscence.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed dispersed through whole inflorescence detaching and being tumbled by wind.
Distribution
Widespread particularly in the eastern part of Africa from South Africa to Kenya and Uganda.
Ecology
In grassland and wooded grassland; 200–2500 m.
Conservation
Conservation notes: Widespread species, not threatened.
[FZ]

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: confident
[AERP]

Amaryllidaceae, Inger Nordal (University of Oslo). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1982

Morphology General Habit
Bulb up to 25 cm. in diameter, the upper part with dry loose tunics of old leaf-bases, often emergent from the ground.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves grey-green or glaucous, up to 60 cm. long, 1.5–4 cm. broad, glabrous, developing after the flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Scape
Scape 5–30 cm. long, with a globose inflorescence of 50 to more than 100 flowers.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicels angular, 3–8 cm. long at anthesis, elongating up to 40 cm. in fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers pink to dark purple; tube narrowly funnel-shaped, always shorter than the segments, 0.5–2 cm.; segments gradually spreading, recurved towards the apex, with slightly incurved margins, 2–3 cm. long, 2–4 mm. broad.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments 3–4.5 cm. long; anthers yellow, 2.5–3.5 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style 5 cm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule triquetrous, up to 3 cm. long, with irregular dehiscence, often sterile.
Figures
Fig. 6.
Habitat
Grassland or wooded grassland often on well drained soils; 200–2500 m.
Distribution
K1 K2 K3 K4 K6 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 U1 U3
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • 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 Vascular Plants 2024. 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 2024. 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images