Description:

• Deciduous perennial
• Rootstock a bell-shaped corm with a flat base, rooting from base, basal in origin, tunics woody to firm-papery and concentric
• Stem aerial, terete and wiry, many-branched, branching divaricate
• Leaves several, lower 2 or 3 cataphylls; foliage leaves unifacial, with a definite midrib, in a distichous fan, blades lanceolate, plane, soft-textured
• Inflorescence a lax compound spike; bracts green, soft-textured, short, inner shorter to ± as long as outer, notched apically
• Flowers zygomorphic and bilabiate, cream to pale yellow; lower tepals with darker median streaks, with a strong sour, musk-like scent, with nectar from septal nectaries; perianth tube obsolete
• Tepals unequal, lanceolate-attenuate, dorsal tepal largest
• Stamens unilateral and arcuate; filaments arising in mouth of tube; anthers exserted; pollen monosulcate, operculate, exine perforate
• Ovary triquetrous
• Style exserted, branches expanded above and recurved
• Capsules coriaceous, depressed triquetrous
• Seeds globose, 2 per locule, smooth, matte, surface colliculate
• x = 10

Classification Notes:

• The distinctive monotypic Melasphaerula has an unusual combination of woody corm tunics, a short-tubed bilabiate flower, short filiform style branches and few-seeded and winged capsules
• It is hard to place in Ixieae, but on the basis of its woody corm tunics and soft-textured bracts Melasphaerula is currently regarded as most closely related to Geissorhiza and Hesperantha (Goldblatt: 317 (1971))

Nomenclature:

• Melasphaerula Ker Gawl.
  • Ker Gawler: t. 615 (1803)
  • Baker: 115 (1896)
• Phalangium Burm.f.
  • Burman: 3 (1768) hom. illeg. not of Mill.
• Diasia DC.
  • Candolle: 151 (1811)
• Aglaea (Pers.) Eckl.
  • Ecklon: 44 (1827)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Species 1, widespread in the winter-rainfall region, extending from S Namibia to the Agulhas Peninsula (Western Cape); in sheltered shady places

Additional Notes:

• The small flowers have a musky slightly foetid scent and are probably pollinated by small fungus gnats (Sciaridae) and other small Diptera attracted by the sour odour