Eucomis pallidiflora

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Eucomis pallidiflora
Eucomis pallidiflora Inflorescenes BotGardBln0806a.jpg
In the Berlin Botanical Garden
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Scilloideae
Genus: Eucomis
Species:
E. pallidiflora
Binomial name
Eucomis pallidiflora

Eucomis pallidiflora, the giant pineapple lily, is a bulbous species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to southern Africa (South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini). The white to green flowers appear in summer and are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts. Some forms reach almost 2 m (6 ft 7 in) when in flower. The species is cultivated as an ornamental plant, although it is not hardy in areas where severe frosts occur.

Contents

Description

Eucomis pallidiflora is a perennial growing from a large bulb with a diameter of up to 8 cm (3+14 in). It has a basal rosette of strap-shaped leaves, about 50–60 cm (20–24 in) long and 10–20 cm (4–8 in) wide, with minutely serrated margins. The inflorescence, produced in late summer (August in the UK), is a dense raceme, reaching an overall height of 50–180 cm (1 ft 8 in – 5 ft 11 in), almost 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in some forms. The individual flowers have white, greenish yellow or green tepals and a green ovary. The inflorescence is topped by a head (coma) of up to 30 bracts, sometimes quite small. The plant lacks the purple coloration found other large species of Eucomis, such as Eucomis comosa . [2] [3]

Taxonomy

Eucomis pallidiflora was first described by John Gilbert Baker in 1887. [1] The Latin specific epithet pallidiflora means "pale flowered". [4] It is one of a group of larger tetraploid species of Eucomis , with 2n = 4x = 60. [5]

Two subspecies are recognized by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: [6]

E. pallidiflora subsp. pole-evansii in Cambridge University Botanic Garden Eucomis pallidiflora 150915.jpg
E. pallidiflora subsp. pole-evansii in Cambridge University Botanic Garden

E. pallidiflora subsp. pallidiflora has a relatively densely packed raceme of flowers on a stem (peduncule) up to 47 cm (18+12 in) high from the base to the first flower, whereas E. pallidiflora subsp. pole-evansii has a loose raceme on a stem 80–120 cm (31–47 in) long before the first flower. [7] Some sources regard E. pallidiflora subsp. pole-evansii as hardly distinguishable from the typical form. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Eucomis pallidiflora is native to southern Africa – the Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Northern Provinces in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. [1] It is found at a range of altitudes, from 915 m (3,000 ft) to 2,080 m (6,800 ft). [8]

Cultivation

The plant is not frost-hardy, and requires a winter mulch in those areas subject to freezing temperatures. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [9] [10] It flowers in summer (August in cultivation in Britain), remaining upright for two months while the seeds ripen. It can be cultivated in containers where severe frosts occur, kept inside and dry in winter. [2]

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<i>Zantedeschia aethiopica</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Agave attenuata</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Maianthemum racemosum</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Eucomis comosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Eucomis comosa, the pineapple flower, pineapple lily or wine eucomis, is a species of flowering plant in the asparagus family Asparagaceae. A deciduous bulbous perennial used as an ornamental plant, it is endemic to South Africa. The white to purple flowers appear in summer and are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts.

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

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<i>Eucomis autumnalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Eucomis autumnalis, the autumn pineapple flower, or autumn pineapple lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to Malawi, Zimbabwe and southern Africa. It is a mid to late summer flowering deciduous bulbous perennial. The flower stem reaches about 40 cm (16 in), rising from a basal rosette of wavy-edged leaves. The green, yellow or white flowers are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts. It is grown as an ornamental garden plant and can also be used as a cut flower.

<i>Eucomis vandermerwei</i> Species of flowering plant

Eucomis vandermerwei is a South African bulbous perennial flowering plant, a member of the asparagus family, and like other members of Eucomis is commonly known as pineapple lily for its superficial resemblance to that plant, although not closely related to it. This species is one of the smallest in the genus, and is native to a high-rainfall region of western Mpumalanga in South Africa. The dense rosette of leaves, either prostrate or ascending, is heavily blotched with purple, and the leaf-edges are markedly crisped or wavy. The star-shaped burgundy flowers appear in midsummer, and are borne on a spike (raceme) topped by a "head" of leafy bracts.

<i>Eucomis bicolor</i> Species of flowering plant

Eucomis bicolor, the variegated pineapple lily or just pineapple lily, is a bulbous species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to Southern Africa. The pale green, purple-margined flowers are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts. It is cultivated as an ornamental bulbous plant, although its flowers have an unpleasant smell, attractive to the main pollinators, flies.

<i>Scadoxus pole-evansii</i> Species of flowering plant

Scadoxus pole-evansii, commonly known as the Inyanga fireball, is a herbaceous plant endemic to mountains in east Zimbabwe. It was only discovered for science in 1960. Similar in many respects to the more widely grown Scadoxus multiflorus, it is cultivated as an ornamental plant.

<i>Beschorneria yuccoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Beschorneria yuccoides is a species of succulent plant belonging to the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae.

<i>Eucomis zambesiaca</i> Species of flowering plant

Eucomis zambesiaca is a bulbous plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to southern Africa, from Zimbabwe through Malawi to the Limpopo Province of South Africa. One of the smaller species in the genus, it has a rosette of leaves about 45 cm (18 in) across and white flowers in a spike to about 30 cm (12 in) tall.

<i>Eucomis montana</i> Species of flowering plant

Eucomis montana is a plant species in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, found in South Africa and Eswatini (Swaziland). When in flower in summer, the plant reaches a height of up to 45 cm, with a dense spike (raceme) of greenish flowers, topped by a "head" of green bracts.

<i>Eucomis regia</i> Species of flowering plant

Eucomis regia is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. It is sometimes cultivated, but requires protection in a greenhouse in temperate climates.

Eucomis amaryllidifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to the Cape Provinces. It is a short, summer-flowering bulbous plant, with a dense spike (raceme) of yellowish-green flowers topped by a "head" of leafy bracts. In Afrikaans it is called kliplelie.

Eucomis grimshawii is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to the Cape Provinces. It was first described by Graham Duncan and Ben Zonneveld in 2010.

Eucomis humilis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. It was first described by Baker in 1895. The greenish to purplish flowers appear in summer and are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts. Cultivated as an ornamental plant, it can be grown successfully outside where frosts are not too severe.

Eucomis schijffii is a bulbous species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to the Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. It was first described by William Frederick Reyneke in 1976. The reddish purple flowers appear in summer and are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant and can be grown successfully outside where frosts are not too severe. The smallest of the species of Eucomis, it is particularly suited to being grown in rock gardens or containers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Eucomis pallidiflora". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2018-10-16.
  2. 1 2 3 Compton, James (1990). "Eucomis L'Heritier". The Plantsman. 12 (3): 129–139.
  3. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN   978-1405332965.
  4. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN   9781845337315.
  5. Zonneveld, B.J.M. & Duncan, G.D. (2010). "Genome sizes of Eucomis L'Hér. (Hyacinthaceae) and a description of the new species Eucomis grimshawii G.D.Duncan & Zonneveld". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 284 (1–2): 99–109. doi: 10.1007/s00606-009-0236-y .
  6. Search for "Eucomis pallidiflora", "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2013-01-30.
  7. Crouch, Neil R. (2010). "An adaptation of Reyneke's key to the genus Eucomis" (PDF). PlantLife (39 & 40): 45–52. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  8. "Eucomis pallidiflora Baker". African Plant Database. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  9. "RHS Plant Selector - Eucomis pallidiflora" . Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  10. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 37. Retrieved 18 February 2018.