Home | > | List of families | > | Colchicaceae | > | Ornithoglossum | > | vulgare |
Synonyms: |
Ornithoglossum glaucum sensu auct. non Salisb. Ornithoglossum viride auct. non (L.f.) Aiton |
Common names: | Bird's tongue (English) Chitupaguru (Shona) |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Native |
Description: |
Perennial herb, up to c. 70 cm tall, growing from a ovoid-oblong corm, up to 30 cm below the surface. Leaves up to 12, usually 4-7, erect, spreading or recurved, linear-lanceolate, 10 - 30 cm long, blue-green, waxy. Inflorescence 5 - 30 cm long, up to c. 25-flowered. Flowers purplish-brown, to dark purple-red, rarely yellow; base of the filaments green, upper part and anthers brown. Pedicels and tepals spreading at first, later reflexed. Ovary green, 3-lobed, c. 2 × 2 cm enlarging soon. Capsule globose, 15 × 10 mm, bluntly 3-lobed at the apex. |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | vulgare: vulgar, common, usual |
Habitat: | In miombo woodland, occasionally in mopane or other woodland, mostly on sandy soils. |
Altitude range: (metres) | 450 - 1400 m |
Flowering time: | |
Worldwide distribution: | Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa |
Zimbabwe distribution: | N,W,C,E,S |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | Diaphone eumela (Larval foodplant) |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Literature: |
Fabian, A. & Germishuizen, G. (1997). Wild Flowers of Northern South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeburg. Pages 50 - 51. (Includes a picture). La Croix, I. (2009). Colchicaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(2) Pages 189 - 190. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 86. Maroyi, A (2002). Colchicaceae in Zimbabwe Kirkia 18(1) Page 7. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 107. Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 117. van der Walt, R. (2009). Wild Flowers of the Limpopo Valley Retha van der Walt, Musina, South Africa Page 325. |
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