PLANTAE / PHANEROGAMAE / ANTHOPHYTA / LILIALES / COLCHICACEAE / ANGUILLARIEAE / WURMBEA / CAPENSIS
Corm ovoid, 0.5-1 cm long, 0.4-0.8 cm wide, with blackish-brown tunics. Stem above ground 2-8 cm high, below ground very slender. Leaves 3, erect-recurved, distinctly overtopping the spike, from a broader base linear and long-acuminate or attenuate, 2-10 mm wide near the base, 5-11 cm long, uppermost often shorter. Spike 2-7-flowered, 1-2.8 cm long, 0.5-1 cm wide. Perianth erecto-patent, campanulate, probably creamy-white with small streaks or speckles, brownish when dry. Tube broadly cylindrical, 4-5.5 mm long, 1.5-3.5 mm wide. Segments suberect-erecto-patent, linear-lanceolate, 2-3.5 mm long, 0.6-1 mm wide, with narrow purplish margins and a purplish spot near the middle. Nectary a groove with somewhat elevated margins. Filaments 1.2-1.5 mm long. Anthers elliptic-oblong, 0.5-0.7 mm long and wide. Ovary oblong, 3^1 mm long (excl. styles); free styles about as long as the ovary, apically distinctly hooked with a subulate curved stigma latero-adaxially set off from the style. Capsule narrowly oblong-cylindrical, 4-5 mm long excl. styles; free styles somewhat erecto-patent, 3-4 mm long, 0.5-1 mm thick, thickish, abruptly recurved near the apex. From: Nordenstam, RB. 1986. The genus Wurmbea (Colchicaceae) in the Cape region. Opera Bot. 87: 5-41. [All rights reserved]
Cormous geophyte, 5-10 cm. Leaves linear. Flowers few, cream-coloured and brown-speckled with median dark spot, tepals erect, tube slightly longer than tepals, 4-5.5 mm long, styles hooked. From: Manning, JC; Goldblatt, P. 2012. Colchicaceae. In: J Manning & P Goldblatt (eds), Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape flora. Strelitzia 29: 80-83. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]
Characteristic features of W. capensis are the small size of the plant and the flowers, the few-flowered narrow spike, and the peculiarly hooked styles, which are unique in the genus. From: Nordenstam, RB. 1986. The genus Wurmbea (Colchicaceae) in the Cape region. Opera Bot. 87: 5-41. [All rights reserved]
Stony slopes. From: Manning, JC; Goldblatt, P. 2012. Colchicaceae. In: J Manning & P Goldblatt (eds), Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape flora. Strelitzia 29: 80-83. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]
Clanwilliam to Stellenbosch. From: Manning, JC; Goldblatt, P. 2012. Colchicaceae. In: J Manning & P Goldblatt (eds), Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape flora. Strelitzia 29: 80-83. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. [CC BY]
August to September
0 to 200 m
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
Occurrence in the Flora of Southern Africa (FSA) countries and South African provinces. Residence status indicates if a taxon is indigenous, endemic, naturalised or invasive in a specific region. This data is based on specimen records and literature
FSA
SA
BOT
NAM
ESW
LES
WC
EC
NC
FS
GA
KZN
LP
MP
NW
Absent
Indigenous
Endemic
Naturalised
Invasive
Names and Sources
Melanthium pumilum (Willd.) Ker Gawl., nom.illegit.
Melanthium wurmbaea Thunb.
Melanthium wurmbeum Thunb.
Wurmbea campanulata Willd. var. pumila Schult. & Schult.f.
Wurmbea pumila Willd., nom.illegit.
Wurmbea spicata (Burm.f.) T.Durand & Schinz f. pumila T.Durand & Schinz
Classification
KINGDOM Plantae
SUBKINGDOM Phanerogamae
PHYLUM Anthophyta
ORDER Liliales
FAMILY Colchicaceae
TRIBE Anguillarieae
GENUS Wurmbea
SPECIES capensis
5 results for Wurmbea capensis Thunb.
Barcode: NBG0204361-0 Collector(s) & number: Duckitt, C, 792 | 2005-8-14
South Africa, Western Cape, Rondeberg Private Nature Reserve. Ringard camp.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
Barcode: NBG0200511-0 Collector(s) & number: Duckitt, C, 672 | 2004-8-26
South Africa, Western Cape, Rondeberg Private Nature Reserve, near Darling. Ring road, upper.
General notes: Fynbos vegetation. Plain. Seasonally waterlogged, black, sandy soil. No disturbance. Local, occasional. Deciduous, perennial, erect, geophyte. Cream flowers, maroon on edge of tepals. No fruit. Plant height 5 cm.
Data Resource: BODATSA View record
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
2012
SERIES CHAPTER
Colchicaceae Manning, JC; Goldblatt, PIn: J Manning & P Goldblatt (eds), Plants of the Greater Cape Floristic Region 1: The Core Cape flora. Strelitzia 29: 80-83
South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria
1986
PERIODICAL/JOURNAL
The genus Wurmbea (Colchicaceae) in the Cape region Nordenstam, RBOpera Botanica a Societate Botanica Lundensi 87: 5-41
No results found for Wurmbea capensis Thunb.
Status and criteria
VU
Assessor(s)
Plantae Coordinator
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