''Apodolirion'' is a genus of
herbaceous,
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
and
bulbous plants in the Amaryllis family (
Amaryllidaceae, subfamily
Amaryllidoideae). It consists of 6
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
distributed in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. The name ''Apodolirion'' comes from the Greek and means "stemless flower" and describes the almost
sessile
Sessility, or sessile, may refer to:
* Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about
* Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant
* Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...
flowers of these species.
Species
The list of ''Apodolirion '' species, with their complete
scientific name, authority, and geographic distribution is given below.
[Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew]
World Checklist of Monocotyledons: ''Apodolirion ''
Accessed May 16, 2009.
*''
Apodolirion amyanum
''Apodolirion'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the Amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae). It consists of 6 species distributed in South Africa. The name ''Apodolirion'' comes from the Greek an ...
''
D. Muller-Doblies
*''
Apodolirion bolusii''
Baker
*''
Apodolirion buchananii''
Baker
*''
Apodolirion cedarbergense'' D. Muller-Doblies
*''
Apodolirion lanceolatum'' (
L.f.)
Benth.
George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...
*''
Apodolirion macowanii''
Baker
Uses
''A. buchananii'' (known as "Natal Crocus") is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is a small plant with solitary flowers, that bloom in spring.
Bibliography
* Müller-Doblies, D. 1986. ''De Liliifloris notulae'' 3. ''Enumeratio specierum generum Gethyllis et Apodolirion (Amaryllidaceae)''. Willdenowia. 15: 465-471.
* Germishuizen, G. Fabian, A. 1997. Wild flowers of Northern South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeberg.
* Pooley, E. 1998. A Field Guide to Wild Flowers KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region. Natal Flora Publications Trust, Durban.
*
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q147863
Amaryllidoideae
Amaryllidaceae genera
Taxa named by John Gilbert Baker