Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Gethyllis lanceolata (Apodolirion lanceolatum)

Found sporadically throughout the reserve. Sometimes difficult to distinguish from other bulbs. A distinguishing factor is that the leaves always protrude from under the ground to on top of the soil so that not the whole leaf is not visible in its entirety. The bulbs are winter growing and considered quite rare. They do occur however over a wide area in the Little Karoo including coastal areas . The white flowers pop out of the ground around the end of January while the rest of the bulb is dormant. Flowering only lasts a few days.The soft cylindrical fruit appears usually early April. The tiny seeds are often visible inside and germinate unaided similar to other plants belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family.

The common name is Kukumakranka.

Leaves.

Flowers.

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