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Melasphaerula graminea (L.F.) Ker Gawl.

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Iridaceae > Melasphaerula

Characteristics

Plants 200-750(-1000) mm high. Corm 8-15 mm diam.; tunics woody to firm-papery. Stem wiry, erect below but at length arching or sprawling, divaricately many-branched, branches horizontal or drooping, stem bracts awl-like. Leaves 5 or 6, mostly basal, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, (50-)100-200 x (3-)5-15 mm, cauline leaves 1 or 2, progressively smaller. Spike scalloped or flexuose, 1-to 8-flowered; bracts 2-5 mm long, ovate, gaping. Flowers nodding, cream-coloured to yellow, all or at least lower 3 tepals with maroon or purple median streak, weakly scented with sweet or musty odour; tube obsolete, < 1 mm long; tepals suberect, uppermost shortest, erect and hooded over the anthers, others lightly twisted, attenuate, uppermost ovate to lanceolate, 7-9 x 3-5 mm, others narrowly lanceolate, 9-15 x 1-2 mm. Filaments ± 2 mm long; anthers 1.0-1.5 mm long, yellow. Style dividing beyond anthers, branches 1.5-2.0 mm long. Capsules ± 4 x 8 mm, deeply 3-lobed. Seeds ± 2 mm diam.
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Perennial herb, geophyte, 0.40-0.85 m high; corm bell-shaped, tunics woody brown; stem slender. Leaves several, linear-lanceolate, in a distichous fan, with a definite midrib. Bracts green, submembranous, notched apically. Inflorescence a lax, compound spike, with flexuose, slender rachis; flowers cream-coloured to pale yellow with dark median streaks, zygomorphic; perianth tube ± 1 mm long; tepals bilabiate, lanceolate-attenuate, dorsal largest. Stamens unilateral, arcuate, exserted. Ovary triquetrous; style exserted, short, filiform. Flowering time Aug., Sept. Capsule coriaceous, depressed triquetrous, winged.
Cormous geophyte, 300-600 mm tall, stem wiry, diffusely branched. Flowers in lax, wiry spikes, small, bilabiate, cream to pale yellow, lower tepals streaked with red-brown in midline, sour-smelling, perianth tube short.
Cormous geophyte, 30-60 cm, diffusely branched. Flowers lax, wiry spikes, small, bilabiate, cream-coloured to pale yellow, lower tepals streaked with red-brown in midline, sour-smelling.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.3 - 0.75
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 4-7
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) -

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Melasphaerula graminea world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:439962-1
WFO ID wfo-0000785245
COL ID 3ZCNV
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Gladiolus gramineus Melasphaerula iridifolia Melasphaerula intermedia Diasia graminifolia Diasia intermedia Diasia iridifolia Diasia parviflora Melasphaerula graminea
WorldFloraDB 2024