Description:

• Perennial, deciduous, small, bulbous herbs
• Bulb ovoid to globose, sometimes forming a neck, firm; outer tunics thin; occasionally forming runners or bulbils; roots many, thin
• Leaves 1-many, usually contemporary with flowers; basal; straight or spirally twisted; linear to lorate; apex acute to acuminate; base free or folded and clasping; margin smooth, undulate, ciliate or papillate; glabrous or hairy
• Inflorescence a raceme, with few to many flowers, often secund; peduncle terete or ribbed and papillate, rachis drooping in bud becoming erect during anthesis; bracts small, falling early or persistent
• Flowers yellow-green, green, reddish brown or brown; pedicels short to long, recurved but erect in fruit
• Tepals fused below, forming a tube, connivent above; lobes of 3 outer tepals usually spreading, apex cucullate, sometimes with a tail-like appendage; lobes of 3 inner tepals similar to outer but spreading only at their tips and without appendages; deciduous
• Stamens 6, included, just reaching mouth of perianth tube, uniform; filaments flat, fused to perianth tube, connivent above; anthers dorsifixed, introrse
• Ovary sessile or shortly stipitate, ovoid, rarely with 3 apical knobs; with ± 20, biseriate ovules; style short or long, papillate; stigma 3-lobed or capitate
• Fruit an ovoid capsule, rarely 3-umbonate, rarely stipitate
• Seeds flat, round, black, shiny, papillate
• x = 4 (3, 5) (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Dipcadi Medik.
  • Medikus: 431 (1790)
  • Baker: 445 (1897)
  • Obermeyer: 117 (1964)
  • Sölch et al.: 38 (1970)
  • Stedje: 2 (1996)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species ± 30, Africa to Madagascar, Socotra, Mediterranean region and India
• Southern Africa: Species 14, in all countries and provinces
  • Occurs in stony or sandy flats, rocky habitats and grassland

Additional Notes:

• Some species are poisonous to cattle and sheep, some are used medicinally and others are reported to be edible