Description :

• Glabrous geophytes
• Corms deep-seated, tuberous, subglobose to ovoid, simple or with 1 or 2 lateral blunt lobes, firm, white inside, covered with thin yellowish or dark papery tunics, long, sheathed neck below ground
• Stem erect, variable length, simple or branched, with sheathing leaves, terminating in a bracteate, racemose inflorescence
• Leaves : lowest a membranous, sheathing, tubular cataphyll, without leaf blade, truncate or terminated by a short, ovate, usually mucronate tip; cataphyll sometimes worn away or undeveloped; upper leaves 2-12, alternate, distichous, erecto-patent to recurved, linear or linear-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate from a stem-sheathing base, tapering to acuminate, acute or mucronate tip, flat or undulate, parallel-veined, green or glaucous to greyish green
• Inflorescence a few- to many-flowered raceme, oblong to pyramidal or corymbosely contracted; bracts leaf-like, simple; pedicels axillary, but basally coalescent with stem, erecto-patent to spreading or reflexed, often sharply recurved near apex
• Flowers cernuous or nodding
• Perianth regular or asymmetric, discrete, persistent, equal, all or some becoming patent to reflexed, with a basal tubular or flattened claw; blade flat, simple, lanceolate, acute or obtuse, various shades from yellow to almost black
• Nectary a channel-, pouch- or pocket-like structure in the claw or between claw and blade, its upper margin simple or sometimes projecting as a tongue, or mouth-, ring- or funnel-shaped
• Stamens free; filaments arising at base, arcuate, filiform, or swollen at or below middle; anthers dorsifixed, versatile, dehiscing extrorsely with longitudinal slits
• Ovary globose to ovoid to oblong, sessile, simple; ovules few to many; styles 3, free, filiform, arcuate or spreading; stigma small, capitate or oblong and apical
• Capsule globose to obovoid, nodding, coriaceous, dehiscing loculicidally
• Seeds several, globose, firm, brown, smooth or rugose, with a distinct raphe
• x = 12

Nomenclature:

• Ornithoglossum Salisb.
  • Salisbury: text to t. 54 (1806)
  • Baker: 524 (1897)
  • Leinfellner: 474 (1960)~(Page number suspect - No access to the publication)
  • Sölch et al.: 62 (1970)
  • Nordenstam: 1 (1982)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species 8, tropical and southern Africa
• Southern Africa : All countries and provinces, except Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho
  • Poisonous to stock