Hypoxidaceae
Hypoxis

Hypoxis urceolata Nel

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 51: 336 (1914)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Congo to Eritrea and Tanzania, SW. Arabian Peninsula. It is a rhizomatous 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: confident
[AERP]

Hypoxidaceae, F. N. Hepper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968

Morphology General Habit
Large rhizome bearing fibrous leaf bases
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences up to 10 ins. high appearing before and with the leaves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers yellow
Ecology
In upland savanna.
[FWTA]

Hypoxidaceae, J. Wiland-Szymańska, I. Nordal. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2006

Type
Types: Tanzania, sine loc., Obst s.n. (B!, syn.); Uganda: Ruwenzori, Buddu, Dawe 231 (K!, syn.) & Ohagwe, Dawe 103 (K!, syn.); Kenya: Nairobi, Whyte s.n. (K!, syn.)
Morphology General Habit
Robust herb up to 60 cm tall
Vegetative Multiplication Corms
Corm ovoid, 3.3–6.5 x 2.3–3 (4.3) cm, yellow to orange (rarely whitish) inside, crowned by fibrous leaf remnants
Morphology Leaves
Leaves linear to narrowly lanceolate, (11–)17–60(–95) x (0.8–)1.2–2 cm, often reflexed; thinly pubescent with tufted golden brown to whitish hairs on the margins and main veins, lamina glabrescent, sometimes with a few bifurcate hairs present; veins unequal, (12–)19–45
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences 4–9, with scapes 8–45 cm x 2–3 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers (2–)4–7 in a racemose arrangement; pedicels 0–35 mm long; bracts subulate, keeled, (5–)9–24 x 1–2 mm; tepals ovate, 8–15(–17) x 4–5(–6) mm; stamens unequal, outer stamens 4–8 mm, inner 4–7 mm long, filaments subulate, 1.5–4 mm long, anthers 3–6 mm long, fused apically; ovary obconical, 4–10 x 3–4 mm long, style 3–4 mm long, stigma pyramidal, 2–3 mm long, with three lines of papillae
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule turbinate, 4–10 x 3–5 mm, opening with a transverse slit
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds black, ovoid, ± 1.5 x 1 mm; seed coat without distinct papillae
Ecology
Grassland, disturbed bushland, open woodland; 1300–3100 m
Note
See H. nyasica and H. gregoriana.
[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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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 2025. 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 2025. 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