Trachyandra prolifera P.L.Perry

Species

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Asphodelaceae > Trachyandra

Characteristics

Plants deciduous small, up to 200 mm high, gregarious, proliferating to form large clumps. Roots few, thick, fleshy, mainly up to 75 mm long, 5 mm wide near the base, gradually tapering to the apex, with root hairs along most of the length and scattered narrower laterals; outer flakey layer light rusty brown with an inner bright red layer, and white internally; swollen regions formed along the length of the roots develop a bud on the upper side and a portion of root with bud may later break away from the parent plant. Rhizome short, erect, about 5 x 5mm, orange, darker than roots, merging into roots. Cataphylls (squamae) tubular 9-10 mm long, in 3-4layers, thin, membranous hyaline, with the inner surrounding separate leaves. Leaves 2-6, erect, terete,80-85 mm long at flowering extending up to 200 mm long by the end of the growing season, 1-1.5 mm wide, bright green, basal 8 mm dark reddish, glabrous. Peduncle up to 125 mm long, terete, shortly scabrid basally, sparsely hispid to glabrous above, pale green. Inflorescence a simple lax raceme, 40 x 35 mm, few-flowered (3-5). Bracts basally saccate, cuspidate, 3 mm long, colourless, brown-keeled, margin irregularly denticulate. Pedicels up to 8 mm long in flower, erecto-patent, glabrous, same colour as peduncle. Perianth stellate somewhat, pendulous, pleasantly sweet-scented, about 30 mm diameter. Tepals sub-equal, narrowly oblanceolate, 14 mm long, with outer 2.5-3 mm wide and inner up to 4 mm wide, all with a constriction 1.5-2 mm from the base and shortly clawed, white with a brown central nerve and yellow angular blotch just above the constriction. Stamens spreading as flower first opens but slowly becoming erect and connivent round the ovary at anthesis. Filaments dimorphic, white; outer 8-9 mm long, filiform, muricate with very short retrorse trichomes; inner 10-11 mm long, basal part flattened and expanded to form a bulge surrounding and hiding the ovary, with longer retrose cilia on the outside only, apical 6 mm filiform with short retrorse trichomes. Anthers versatile, 1-1.25 mm x 0.75 mm, yellow. Ovary ovoid, 1.5 x 1.25 mm, green. Style narrowly filiform, 10 x 0.25 mm, white, somewhat declinate with apex bent upwards. Stigma capitate, papillose. Fruit and seeds unknown.
More
Deciduous geophyte, 100-200 mm high, roots stoloniferous and plants growing in clumps. Rhizome short, vertical; roots swollen, fused above with rhizome, split below into spreading roots or elongate tubers tapering to wiry roots, firm-textured, bright red with flaking, dark brown, leathery periderm, staining purple when pressed. Cataphylls surrounding shoots as well as leaf-and scape-bases, papery, white, 6-10 mm long. Leaves 3-8, erect, filiform, terete, flushed pink basally, 80-200 x 1.0-1.5 mm, glabrous. Inflorescence a simple raceme, peduncle erect, terete, 0.5-1.0 mm diam. at base, shortly pubescent at base and becoming glabrescent above; bracts ovate-acuminate, white, papery, 3-4 x 1-2 mm, with denticulate margins; pedicels erect,4-8 mm long at anthesis (fruiting material not seen). Flowers patent, white with brown midribs and paired yellow maculae near base, opening midday, sweet scented; tepals spreading but suberect and weakly clawed in basal± 1 mm, outer elliptical, 12-14 x 1.5-2.0 mm, inner narrowly obovate, 12-14 x 2.5-3.0 mm. Stamens dimorphic, suberect below but sometimes apically upcurved; filaments filiform, white, outer ± 8 mm long, inner ± 10 mm long, retrorsely scabrid but basal third of inner filaments patently scabrid; anthers yellow, 1.0-1.5 mm long. Ovary globose, ± 1.5 mm long, brownish, number of ovules unknown; style weakly decurved, filiform, ± 10 mm long, white. Capsule unknown. Seeds unknown.
Rhizomatous perennial, up to 200 mm tall, proliferating from swollen tubers along spreading roots, rhizome staining purple when pressed. Leaves 2-6, erect, linear, emerging at flowering. Flowers white, spotted yellow at base, in a simple, sparse raceme, scape somewhat hispid below. Capsules unknown.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.2
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 1-2
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

Trachyandra prolifera world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:939874-1
WFO ID wfo-0000745614
COL ID 57PQ7
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Trachyandra prolifera