Albuca

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Albuca
Albuca shawii.jpg
Albuca shawii
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Scilloideae
Genus: Albuca
L.
Synonyms [1]
  • AlbugoidesMedik.
  • ArderniaSalisb.
  • BattandieraMaire
  • BrancionaSalisb.
  • CoilonoxRaf.
  • EthesiaRaf.
  • FalconeraSalisb.
  • IgidiaSpeta
  • MonotassaSalisb.
  • NemaulaxRaf.
  • OsmyneSalisb.
  • PallastemaSalisb.
  • StellarioidesMedik.
  • TaeniolaSalisb.
  • TrimelopterRaf.
  • UrophyllonSalisb.

Albuca is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. [2] The genus is distributed mainly in southern and eastern Africa, with some species occurring in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. [3] Plants of the genus are known commonly as slime lilies. [4]

Contents

Description

These are perennial herbs growing from bulbs. The stem is sheathed in leaves with linear to strap-shaped blades. [5] They can be 8 centimeters to well over one meter long and are flat or keeled. They are generally fleshy and sappy with a mucilaginous juice that inspired the common name "slime lilies". [6] The flowers of some species are scented, especially at night. They are borne in racemes, usually slender, but flat-topped in some species. The flowers may be on stiff, or slender, nodding stalks, [6] held erect or drooping. The six tepals are white to yellow and each has a green or brown stripe down the center. The outer three tepals spread open, while the inner three are connivent, curving inward so that the tips meet. [5] There are six stamens, which have wings at the bases that wrap around the ovary at the center of the flower. Some species have six fertile stamens, and in others the outer stamens are staminodes which do not produce pollen. [4] The fruit is a rounded or oval three-lobed capsule containing shiny black seeds. [5]

The three inner tepals can be closed firmly, raising the question of how pollinators might reach the stigma inside to deposit pollen. [4] In a study of the interaction between pollinators and Albuca flowers, leafcutter bees were observed prying open the tepals and squeezing through to obtain the nectar inside. In the process, they left pollen on the tips of the tepals, where it absorbed fluid, germinated, and fertilized ovules. This was the first known case of flower petals performing the function of the stigma. [4] The only thing even distantly similar is Lacandonia where the pollen tube travels down the stamen, across the base and up the pistils to pollinate from below.[ citation needed ]

Systematics

The genus is circumscribed in two ways. The traditional genus Albuca is a monophyletic group of about 60 known species, [7] and possibly about 100 in total. [8] Other authorities have considered Albuca in a wider sense, including such genera as Stellarioides, Coilonox, Trimelopter, and Battandiera, for a total of 110 to 180 very heterogeneous species. [3] All of these genera, including Albuca, have also been lumped together in Ornithogalum at times, but molecular phylogenetics studies support their separation. [8]

Species

The genus, defined broadly, contains about 160 accepted species, according to the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as of May 2018. [1]

Cultivation

The most popular species is Albuca nelsonii, which is evergreen and not frost-hardy. Such species are best suited to temperate areas, but can be grown in a conservatory or greenhouse, or in a sheltered position if light frosts might occur. However, some other species from alpine or Karoo-like areas are fairly frost-resistant and may be deciduous, and accordingly can stand a good deal of frost once established. Some in fact are winter-flowering. [11] As a rule they do well in full sun in light, free-draining soil. Propagate from offsets or seed.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scilloideae</span> Subfamily of bulbous monocot plants

Scilloideae is a subfamily of bulbous plants within the family Asparagaceae. Scilloideae is sometimes treated as a separate family Hyacinthaceae, named after the genus Hyacinthus. Scilloideae or Hyacinthaceae include many familiar garden plants such as Hyacinthus (hyacinths), Hyacinthoides (bluebells), Muscari and Scilla and Puschkinia. Some are important as cut flowers.

<i>Ornithogalum</i> Genus of perennial bulbous plants in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae

Ornithogalum is a genus of perennial plants mostly native to southern Europe and southern Africa belonging to the family Asparagaceae. Some species are native to other areas such as the Caucasus. Growing from a bulb, species have linear basal leaves and a slender stalk, up to 30 cm tall, bearing clusters of typically white star-shaped flowers, often striped with green. The common name of the genus, star-of-Bethlehem, is based on its star-shaped flowers, after the Star of Bethlehem that appears in the biblical account of the birth of Jesus. The number of species has varied considerably, depending on authority, from 50 to 300.

<i>Galtonia</i> Genus of plants

Galtonia is a genus of plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. Native to Southern Africa, the genus is named after Sir Francis Galton. According to some authorities it has been subsumed into Ornithogalum as a subgenus, while others prefer to keep it as a separate genus.

<i>Dietes</i> Genus of flowering plants

Dietes is a genus of rhizomatous plants of the family Iridaceae, first described as a genus in 1866. Common names include wood iris, fortnight lily, African iris, Japanese iris and butterfly iris, each of which may be used differently in different regions for one or more of the six species within the genus.

<i>Gasteria</i> Genus of succulent flowering plants from South Africa

Gasteria is a genus of succulent plants, native to South Africa.

<i>Massonia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Massonia is a genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is native to southern Africa, and is found in localities such as Namaqualand with hot and dry summers, being dormant in summer and growing during winter. The genus Whiteheadia has been merged into Massonia. It is classed as a cryptophyte.

<i>Lachenalia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Lachenalia is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of them have a dormancy period, but new roots will always grow every year.

<i>Strumaria</i> Genus of plants

Strumaria is a genus of African plants in Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. The genus is known in nature only from South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. Almost all species flower in the autumn and are cultivated as ornamental bulbous plants.

<i>Trachyandra</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Asphodelaceae

Trachyandra is a genus of plant in the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Asphodeloideae, first described as a genus in 1843. It is native to eastern and southern Africa, as well as to Yemen and Madagascar. Many of the species are endemic to South Africa.

  1. Trachyandra acocksiiOberm. - Cape Province in South Africa
  2. Trachyandra adamsonii(Compton) Oberm. - Cape Province, Namibia
  3. Trachyandra affinisKunth - Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal
  4. Trachyandra arenicolaJ.C.Manning & Goldblatt - Cape Province
  5. Trachyandra aridimontanaJ.C.Manning - Cape Province
  6. Trachyandra arvensis(Schinz) Oberm. - Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia
  7. Trachyandra asperataKunth - South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini
  8. Trachyandra brachypoda(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  9. Trachyandra bulbinifolia(Dinter) Oberm. - Cape Province, Namibia
  10. Trachyandra burkei(Baker) Oberm. - Botswana, Limpopo, Free State, Cape Province
  11. Trachyandra capillata(Poelln.) Oberm. - KwaZulu-Natal
  12. Trachyandra chlamydophylla(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  13. Trachyandra ciliata(L.f.) Kunth - Cape Province, Namibia
  14. Trachyandra dissectaOberm. - Cape Province
  15. Trachyandra divaricata(Jacq.) Kunth - Cape Province; naturalized in Australia
  16. Trachyandra ensifolia (Sölch) Roessler - Namibia
  17. Trachyandra erythrorrhiza(Conrath) Oberm. - Gauteng
  18. Trachyandra esterhuysenaeOberm. - Cape Province
  19. Trachyandra falcata(L.f.) Kunth - Cape Province, Namibia
  20. Trachyandra filiformis(Aiton) Oberm. - Cape Province
  21. Trachyandra flexifolia(L.f.) Kunth - Cape Province
  22. Trachyandra gerrardii(Baker) Oberm. - Eswatini, South Africa
  23. Trachyandra giffenii(F.M.Leight.) Oberm. - Cape Province
  24. Trachyandra glandulosa(Dinter) Oberm. - Namibia
  25. Trachyandra gracilentaOberm. - Cape Province
  26. Trachyandra hantamensisBoatwr. & J.C.Manning - Cape Province
  27. Trachyandra hirsuta(Thunb.) Kunth - Cape Province
  28. Trachyandra hirsutiflora(Adamson) Oberm. - Cape Province
  29. Trachyandra hispida(L.) Kunth - Cape Province
  30. Trachyandra involucrata(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  31. Trachyandra jacquiniana(Schult. & Schult.f.) Oberm. - Cape Province
  32. Trachyandra kamiesbergensisBoatwr. & J.C.Manning - Cape Province
  33. Trachyandra karrooicaOberm. - Cape Province, Namibia
  34. Trachyandra lanata(Dinter) Oberm. - Namibia
  35. Trachyandra laxa(N.E.Br.) Oberm. - South Africa, Namibia, Botswana
  36. Trachyandra malosana(Baker) Oberm. - Malawi to Zimbabwe
  37. Trachyandra mandrarensis(H.Perrier) Marais & Reilly - Madagascar
  38. Trachyandra margaretaeOberm. - Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal
  39. Trachyandra montanaJ.C.Manning & Goldblatt - Cape Province
  40. Trachyandra muricata(L.f.) Kunth - Cape Province, Namibia
  41. Trachyandra oligotricha(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  42. Trachyandra paniculataOberm. - Cape Province
  43. Trachyandra patensOberm. - Cape Province
  44. Trachyandra peculiaris(Dinter) Oberm. - Namibia
  45. Trachyandra proliferaP.L.Perry - Cape Province
  46. Trachyandra pyrenicarpa(Welw. ex Baker) Oberm. Huíla Province in Angola
  47. Trachyandra revoluta(L.) Kunth - Cape Province, Namibia
  48. Trachyandra sabulosa(Adamson) Oberm. - Cape Province
  49. Trachyandra saltii(Baker) Oberm. - eastern + southern Africa from Ethiopia to Cape Province; Yemen
  50. Trachyandra sanguinorhizaBoatwr. & J.C.Manning - Cape Province
  51. Trachyandra scabra(L.f.) Kunth - Cape Province
  52. Trachyandra smallianaHilliard & B.L.Burtt - Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal
  53. Trachyandra tabularis(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  54. Trachyandra thyrsoidea(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  55. Trachyandra tortilis(Baker) Oberm. - Cape Province
  56. Trachyandra triquetraThulin - Somalia
  57. Trachyandra zebrina(Schltr. ex Poelln.) Oberm. - Cape Province
<i>Drimia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Drimia is a genus of flowering plants. In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. When broadly circumscribed, the genus includes a number of other genera previously treated separately, including Litanthus, Rhodocodon, Schizobasis and Urginea.

<i>Dipcadi</i> Genus of flowering plants

Dipcadi is a genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. It is widely distributed, occurring in southern Europe, most of Africa and the Middle East through to the Indian subcontinent.

<i>Hessea</i> Genus of flowering plants

Hessea is a genus of bulb-forming plants in the Amaryllis family native to Namibia and South Africa. The genus name commemorates C. H. F. Hesse (1772–1832), who resided in Cape Town from 1800 to 1817.

<i>Albuca shawii</i> Species of flowering plant

Albuca shawii is a species of bulbous plant from southern Africa. It flowers in the summer and has yellow flowers on stems to about 30 cm high.

References

  1. 1 2 "Search for Albuca", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families , Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , retrieved 2015-08-20
  2. Stevens, P.F., Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Scilloideae
  3. 1 2 Martínez-Azorín, M.; Crespo, M.B.; Dold, A.P. & Barker, N.P. (2011), "The identity of Albuca caudata Jacq. (Hyacinthaceae) and a description of a new related species: A. bakeri", PhytoKeys (5): 5–19, doi:10.3897/phytokeys.5.1166, PMC   3174447 , PMID   22171189
  4. 1 2 3 4 Johnson, S.D.; Jürgens, A. & Kuhlmann, M. (2012), "Pollination function transferred: modified tepals of Albuca (Hyacinthaceae) serve as secondary stigmas", Annals of Botany, 110 (3): 565–572, doi:10.1093/aob/mcs114, PMC   3400444 , PMID   22652419
  5. 1 2 3 "Albuca", Flora of Zimbabwe, retrieved 2013-10-11
  6. 1 2 Manning, J. (2008), Field Guide to Fynbos, Cape Town: Struik Publishers, ISBN   978-1-77007-265-7
  7. Martínez-Azorín, M.; Crespo, M.B.; Dold, A.P. & Barker, N.P. (2011), "Albuca annulata sp. nov. (Hyacinthaceae) from the Albany Centre of Endemism, South Africa" (PDF), Nordic Journal of Botany, 29 (6): 696–699, doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2011.01178.x , retrieved 2013-11-10
  8. 1 2 Martínez-Azorín, M.; Crespo, M.B.; Juan, A. & Fay, M.F. (2011), "Molecular phylogenetics of subfamily Ornithogaloideae (Hyacinthaceae) based on nuclear and plastid DNA regions, including a new taxonomic arrangement", Ann. Bot., 107 (1): 1–37, doi:10.1093/aob/mcq207, PMC   3002468 , PMID   21163815
  9. Albuca batteniana, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), retrieved 2013-11-10
  10. Albuca nelsonii, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), retrieved 2013-11-10
  11. Powrie, Fiona (1998), Grow South African Plants : A Gardeners' Companion to Indigenous Plants, Claremont: National Botanical Institute, ISBN   978-1-919684-15-4