Strumaria

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Strumaria
Strumaria watermeyeri01.jpg
Strumaria watermeyeri , in habitat near Nieuwoudtville, South Africa
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily: Amaryllidoideae
Genus: Strumaria
Jacq.
Synonyms [1]
  • CarpolyzaSalisb.
  • HesseaP.J.Bergius ex Schltdl. 1826, rejected homononym not Herb. 1837
  • NesynstylisRaf.
  • EudolonSalisb.
  • GemmariaSalisb.
  • HymenetronSalisb.
  • PugionellaSalisb.
  • StylagoSalisb.
  • BokkeveldiaD.Müll.-Doblies & U.Müll.-Doblies
  • TedingeaD.Müll.-Doblies & U.Müll.-Doblies
Strumaria gemmata in cultivation Hessea gemmata1.jpg
Strumaria gemmata in cultivation

Strumaria is a genus of African plants in Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. [2] The genus is known in nature only from South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. [3] Almost all species flower in the autumn and are cultivated as ornamental bulbous plants.

Contents

Description

Species of Strumaria are deciduous bulbous plants. Their bulbs are generally small, around 7–35 mm (0.3–1.4 in) in diameter with a fibrous bulb tunic. Usually two leaves are produced, although there may be up to six. The flowers generally appear in the autumn with the arrival of the rains; the leaves may appear before, with, or after the flowers. The inflorescence is 20–40 cm (8–16 in) tall, with an umbel of two to 30 flowers, generally carried on long pedicels. Most species have white flowers, although they may also be pink or yellow. The six stamens are joined to the style, at least at the base. Strumaria is distinguished from other genera in the family Amaryllidaceae by the presence of a thickening at the base of the style, except in Strumaria spiralis , previously placed in its own genus Carpolyza. The seeds are reddish-green when ripe, with a diameter of 2–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in). When dry, the fruiting heads detach from the scape and are rolled away by the wind, thus dispersing the seeds. [4]

Species

Accepted (as of April 2022): [5] [6]

Formerly included [5]

A few names have been coined using the name Strumaria, applied to species now considered better suited to other genera ( Hessea and Libertia ).

Distribution and habitat

Species of Strumaria are native to South Africa (the Cape Provinces and the Free State), Lesotho and Namibia. [1] All but one species are found in the winter rainfall area of Southern Africa, to the west and southwest, with the highest concentration in the highlands of Namaqualand. The exception is Strumaria tenella subsp. orientalis, found to the east in the Free State and Lesotho. [4]

Cultivation

Some Strumaria species are cultivated as ornamental bulbous plants, particularly for their autumn flowering period. Although they will survive a minimum temperature of 0 °C (32 °F), a higher minimum of 8 °C (46 °F) is recommended, for example in a cool greenhouse. The medium in which they are grown needs to be free-draining. They can be propagated from seeds, which lack dormancy and so need to be sown as soon as possible after being shed. [4]

Related Research Articles

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

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

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

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

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<i>Ammocharis longifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Albuca</i> Genus of plants

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<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.

Strumaria unguiculata is a plant species endemic to Western Cape Province in South Africa.

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

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Strumariinae Subtribe of flowering plants

Strumariinae is one of four subtribes within the tribe Amaryllideae, found in southern Africa.

Crininae Subtribe of flowering plants

Crininae is one of four subtribes within the tribe Amaryllideae, with a pantropical distribution (Crinum) and also sub-Saharan Africa.

Dierdré A. Snijman South African botanist

Dierdré "Dee" Anne Snijman is a South African botanist and plant taxonomist who is notable for studying and writing extensively on bulbs. She has described over 120 species and has written comprehensive works on South African flora. She received the 1997 Herbert Medal from the International Bulb Society for her research on Amaryllis.

<i>Strumaria chaplinii</i>

Strumaria chaplinii is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to south-west Cape Provinces. It was first described in 1944 as Hessea chaplinii.

Strumaria massoniella is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. It was first described in 1985 as Gemmaria massoniella. Its bulb is solitary. Like other members of the genus Strumaria it has star-shaped flowers. In the Northern Cape Province, it is found in sandy plains at an elevation of about 1,000 m (3,300 ft).

<i>Strumaria tenella</i>

Strumaria tenella is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae, native to Lesotho, and the Cape Provinces and Free State of South Africa. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus the Younger in 1782 as Crinum tenellum. Its inflorescence of white flowers has been described as "noticeably starry".

References

  1. 1 2 "Strumaria", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , retrieved 2013-09-03
  2. Stevens, P.F., Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Amaryllidoideae
  3. Germishuizen, G.; Meyer, N.L. (2003), "Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist", Strelitzia, National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, 14 (i–vi): 1–1231
  4. 1 2 3 Grossi, Alberto (2014), "Strumaria in cultivation", The Plantsman, (New Series), 13 (4): 222–225
  5. 1 2 "Search for Strumaria", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families , Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , retrieved 2022-04-02
  6. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Red List of South African Plants, genus Strumaria