Agapanthus africanus

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African lily
Agapanthus africanus in habitat photo Nick Helme CC by SA.jpg
In habitat
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Agapanthoideae
Genus: Agapanthus
Species:
A. africanus
Binomial name
Agapanthus africanus
Synonyms [1]
  • Abumon africanum(L.) Britton
  • Agapanthus minorLodd.
  • Agapanthus tuberosusL. ex DC. nom. inval.
  • Agapanthus umbellatusL'Hér.
  • Crinum africanumL.
  • Crinum floridumSalisb. nom. illeg.
  • Mauhlia africana(L.) Dahl
  • Mauhlia linearisThunb.
  • Mauhlia umbellata(L'Hér.) Thunb. ex Schult. & Schult.f.
  • Tulbaghia africana(L.) Kuntze
  • Tulbaghia heisteriFabr.
  • Tulbaghia minor(Lodd.) Kuntze

Agapanthus africanus, or the African lily, is a flowering plant from the genus Agapanthus found only on rocky sandstone slopes of the winter rainfall fynbos from the Cape Peninsula to Swellendam. [2] It is also known as the lily-of-the-Nile in spite of only occurring in South Africa.

Contents

Description

The plant is a rhizomatous evergreen geophyte from 25 to 70 cm (10 in to 2 ft 4 in) in height. The leathery leaves are suberect and long and strap shaped. [2] Flowers are broadly funnel-shaped, pale to deep blue, and thick-textured with a dark blue stripe running down the center of each petal. Paler flowers are more common in Agapanthus africanus walshii while Agapanthus africanus africanus flowers tend to be darker. [2] [3] The flowers grow in large clusters, with each flower being 25–40 mm (31⁄32–1+9⁄16 in) long. This species flowers from November to April, particularly after fire. [2] Peak flowering occurs from December to February. [3]

Ecology

Pollination is by wind, bees and sunbirds and seed dispersal by the wind. Chacma baboons and buck[ further explanation needed ] sometimes eat the flower heads just as the first flowers begin to open. These plants are adapted to survive fire in the fynbos and resprout from thick, fleshy roots after fire has passed through the area. [3]

Cultivation and use

Unlike the more common Agapanthus praecox , this species is less suitable as a garden plant as it is far more difficult to grow. A. africanus subsp. africanus may be grown in rockeries in a well drained, slightly acid sandy mix. They seem to be best when grown in shallow pots and will flower regularly if fed with a slow release fertiliser. [3] A. africanus subsp. walshii is by far the most difficult Agapanthus to grow. It can only be grown as a container plant and will not survive if planted out. They require a very well-drained, sandy, acid mix with minimal watering in summer. [3] Both subspecies require hot, dry summers, and winter rainfall climate. It will not tolerate extended freezing temperatures. [4]

The name A. africanus has long been misapplied to A. praecox in horticultural use and publications across the world, and horticultural plants sold as A. africanus are actually hybrids or cultivars of A. praecox. [3]

Extracts of A. africanus have been shown to have antifungal properties. Application of these extracts to the seeds of other plant species, including economically important species, has shown that it significantly reduces the severity of the impacts of certain pathogens. In the case of sorghum, this application was even found to perform better than Thiram, a commonly used fungicide when exposed to Sporisorium sorghi and S. cruentum . [5] Similarly, it has found to induce resistance to rust leaf in wheat through increasing the activity of pathogenesis related proteins. [6]

Conservation

While the species as a whole has not yet been assessed, [7] A. africanus subsp. walshii is considered to be endangered by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). It is known only from a small area in the Elgin valley (less than five locations) and the population continues to decline. The largest subpopulation is threatened by unregulated informal settlement expansion. A proportion of the population is protected within the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve and is not threatened. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Agapanthus</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Amaryllidaceae

Agapanthus is a genus of plants, the only one in the subfamily Agapanthoideae of the family Amaryllidaceae. The family is in the monocot order Asparagales. The name is derived from Greek: ἀγάπη, ἄνθος.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African lily</span> Index of plants with the same common name

African lily is a common name for several plants and may refer to:

<i>Agapanthus praecox</i> Species of flowering plant

Agapanthus praecox is a popular garden plant around the world, especially in Mediterranean climates. It is native to the Kwa-Zulu Natal and Western Cape provinces of South Africa. Local names include agapant, bloulelie, isicakathi and ubani. Most of the cultivated plants of the genus Agapanthus are hybrids or cultivars of this species. It is divided into three subspecies: subsp.praecox, subsp. orientalis and subsp. minimus.

<i>Protea aurea <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> potbergensis</i> Subspecies of tree

Protea aurea subsp. potbergensis, also known as the Potberg protea, or Potberg sugarbush, is a flowering plant of the genus Protea. It is endemic to South Africa and is found only in the Potberg near Cape Infanta. It grows to a height of 5 metres, and flowers primarily from May to June.

<i>Leucadendron teretifolium</i> Species of plant

Leucadendron teretifolium, the needle-leaf conebush, is a flower-bearing shrub belonging to the genus Leucadendron and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape, South Africa.

<i>Leucadendron spissifolium <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> natalense</i> Subspecies of plant

Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. natalense, the Natal spear-leaf conebush, is a flower-bearing shrub belonging to the genus Leucadendron and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal where it occurs from the Oribi Gorge to Port St Johns. It may also occur in the Dwesa Nature Reserve on the Wild Coast.

<i>Leucadendron spissifolium <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> oribinum</i> Subspecies of plant

Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. oribinum, the Oribi spear-leaf conebush, is a flower-bearing shrub belonging to the genus Leucadendron and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal where it occurs from the Oribi Plain to Mkambati.

<i>Leucadendron spissifolium <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> phillipsii</i> Subspecies of plant

Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. phillipsii, the Kareedouwvlakte spear-leaf conebush, is a flower-bearing shrub belonging to the genus Leucadendron and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, South Africa.

<i>Leucadendron spissifolium <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> spissifolium</i> Subspecies of plant

Leucadendron spissifolium subsp. spissifolium, the common spear-leaf conebush, is a flower-bearing shrub belonging to the genus Leucadendron and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape where it occurs on the Gifberg and from the Cederberg to the Cape Peninsula and Kogelberg to Kampscheberg in the Langeberg.

<i>Serruria fucifolia</i> Species of plant

Serruria fucifolia, the northern spiderhead, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Serruria and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape, South Africa.

<i>Serruria brownii</i> Species of flowering plant

Serruria brownii, the bottlebrush spiderhead, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the family Proteaceae and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape, South Africa.

Serruria cyanoides, the Wynberg spiderhead, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Serruria and forms part of the fynbos.

<i>Serruria glomerata</i> Species of flowering plant

Serruria glomerata, the cluster spiderhead, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Serruria and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape, it occurs on the Cape Flats and Cape Peninsula. The shrub is erect and grows only 40 cm tall and bears flowers from August to October.

<i>Serruria villosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Serruria villosa, the golden spiderhead, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Serruria and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape, where it occurs only on the Cape Peninsula and just south of Constantia. The shrub is erect and grows only 50 cm tall and bears flowers from April to July.

<i>Paranomus bracteolaris</i> Species of plant

Paranomus bracteolaris, the smooth-leaf tree sceptre or Bokkeveld sceptre, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Paranomus and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape and Northern Cape, South Africa.

<i>Paranomus longicaulis</i> Species of plant

Paranomus longicaulis, commonly known as exploding baked apple and woolly sceptre, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Paranomus and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape where it occurs on the eastern Langeberg from Garcia Pass to the Attakwaskloof.

Paranomus reflexus, the Van Staden's scepter, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Paranomus and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Eastern Cape where it occurs on the Elandsberg and Van Stadensberg.

Diastella parilis, the Worcester silkypuff, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Diastella and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape and occurs in the Breede River Valley from the Elandskloof to the Slanghoek Mountains. The shrub is erect and grows 70 cm tall and bears flowers from July to January.

<i>Leucadendron elimense</i> Species of flowering plant

Leucadendron elimense, the Elim conebush, is a flower-bearing shrub, which belongs to the genus Leucadendron and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape, South Africa.

Diastella thymelaeoides subsp. meridiana, the Hangklip silkypuff, is a flower-bearing shrub that belongs to the genus Diastella and forms part of the fynbos. The plant is native to the Western Cape and occurs in the southern Kogelberg from Rooi-Els to Cape Hangklip as well as Betty's Bay. The shrub grows erect and grows only 1.0 m tall and flowers throughout the year with a peak from August to November.

References

  1. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species" . Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Manning, John (2012). Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region : 1: the core Cape flora. Peter Goldblatt, G. D. Duncan. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute, SANBI. ISBN   978-1-919976-74-7. OCLC   852384288.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Agapanthus africanus | PlantZAfrica". pza.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
  4. ↑ "PlantZAfrica: Agapanthus praecox".
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Singh, R. P. (1992). "Expression of Wheat Leaf Rust Resistance Gene Lr34 in Seedlings and Adult Plants". Plant Disease. 76 (5): 489. doi:10.1094/pd-76-0489. ISSN   0191-2917.
  7. ↑ "Threatened Species Programme | SANBI Red List of South African Plants". redlist.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  8. ↑ "Threatened Species Programme | SANBI Red List of South African Plants". redlist.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
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