Description:

• Robust, erect shrublets; internodes shorter than leaves; young parts variably minutely pubescent, or glabrous
• Leaves ascending or spreading, usually decurrent, bluntly triquetrous, often subfalcate to falcate, usually 30-60 mm long, 10-30 mm in diameter, with sheath 2-6 mm long, greyish green, persistent; epidermis with convex cells or ± distinctly papillate
• Flowers solitary or 3 together, lateral ones developing after marked interval, large, shortly pedunculate, opening in daytime; bracts embracing receptacle
• Sepals 6, unequal, inner ones subulate, with membranous margins
• Petals with outer ones longer, 1- or 2-seriate, inner ones narrower, 2- or 3-seriate, white, lemon, orange, pink or various shades of purple and red, centre often differently coloured
• Stamens and staminodes in 6-8 series, conically collected, coloured, outer ciliately papillate in lower part, inner ones more densely papillate near middle
• Nectary a crenulate ring
• Ovary: apical lobes distant, acutely or obtusely compressed, rarely reaching nectary; placentas parietal; stigmas 6, subulate-caudate, rarely exceeding height of stamens
• Fruit a 6-locular capsule of Ruschia type, obconic below; sutures strongly compressed; expanded valves widely spreading, wingless; expanding keels parallel below, diverging upwards, aristate; closing bodies and covering membranes well developed, with 2 processes or additional closing devices on underside near exit, obconical
• Seeds covered with long, brown, papillate hairs, shortly echinate, tuberculate or muricate
• x = 9

• Flowering mainly in late summer

• Distinguishing characters:
  • Robust perennials, erect, woody with large grey-green, smooth or textured leaves
  • Stems sheathing at their partially fused bases
  • Flowers large, solitary with bracts just below them
  • Seeds echinate, tuberculate or hairy

Nomenclature:

• Astridia Dinter
  • Dinter: 430, 447 (1926)
  • Friedrich: 17 (1970)
  • Herre: 88 (1971)
  • Glen: 203 (1986)
  • Smith et al.: 348 (1998)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Species 7, across the border between South Africa and Namibia, along the lower reaches of the Orange River. This is an extremely arid area of the Northern Cape