Wurmbea capensis Thunb.
VU Indigenous Endemic

Morphological description

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]

Diagnostic description

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]

Habitat

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]

Distribution

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]

Flowering time

August to September

Altitude

0 to 200 m

Occurrence records map

This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations

iNaturalist: BODATSA: Data partners records:

Residence status

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

Accepted name
Wurmbea capensis Thunb.
Synonym(s)

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

GENUS Wurmbea

SPECIES capensis

5 results for Wurmbea capensis Thunb.

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Specimen records

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

Observation records

Date: 9/11/2024 9:15:58 AM

Western Cape

Data Resource: iNaturalist View record

Date: 9/10/2024 1:59:23 PM

Western Cape

Data Resource: iNaturalist View record

Date: 8/11/2024 2:43:56 PM

Western Cape

Data Resource: iNaturalist View record

Plant occurence records per dataset

Plant occurence records per year

Occurrence records map

This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations

iNaturalist: BODATSA: Data partners records:

2012

SERIES CHAPTER

Colchicaceae Manning, JC; Goldblatt, P

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

1986

PERIODICAL/JOURNAL

The genus Wurmbea (Colchicaceae) in the Cape region Nordenstam, RB

Opera Botanica a Societate Botanica Lundensi 87: 5-41

No results found for Wurmbea capensis Thunb.

Status

Status and criteria

VU

Assessor(s)

Plantae Coordinator

Part(s) of plant used Use(s) Reference

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