''Ledebouria socialis'', the silver squill, wood hyacinth, or leopard lily, is a
geophytic
A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy
(generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have ...
species of
bulbous
In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs durin ...
perennial plant
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 wide ...
native to the
Eastern Cape Province
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in 199 ...
of
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 ...
.
It was first described by
John Gilbert Baker
John Gilbert Baker (13 January 1834 – 16 August 1920) was an English botanist. His son was the botanist Edmund Gilbert Baker (1864–1949).
Biography
Baker was born in Guisborough in North Yorkshire, the son of John and Mary (née Gilbert ...
as ''Scilla socialis'' in 1870.
later revised the genus ''
Scilla
''Scilla'' () is a genus of about 30 to 80 species of bulb-forming perennial herbaceous plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. Sometimes called the squills in English, they are native to woodlands, subalpine meadows, and sea ...
'' and split off several species, reclassifying ''Scilla socialis'' into the genus ''Ledebouria'' in 1970.
It is often cultivated and grows well with minimal care.
[Zachos, E. 2005]
''Tempting Tropicals: 175 Irresistible Indoor Plants''.
Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 221–222.
Etymology
''Ledebouria'' is named for
(1785–1851),
[Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 232, 355] a botanist who published, among other things, the first complete
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
n flora.
''Socialis'' means 'grows in pure stands', 'dominant', or 'growing in colonies'.
References
External links
socialis
Flora of the Cape Provinces
Plants described in 1870
Taxa named by John Gilbert Baker
{{Asparagaceae-stub