''Strumaria discifera'' is a
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 ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the family
Amaryllidaceae
The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus ''Amaryllis'' and is commonly known as the amaryllis fa ...
, native to west and south-west
Cape Provinces.
[ It was first described in 1992.][
]
Description
''Strumaria discifera'' is similar to '' Strumaria chaplinii'', i.e. a relatively small plant for the genus ''Strumaria
''Strumaria'' is a genus of African plants in Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae. The genus is known in nature only from South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. Almost all species flower in the autumn and are cultivated as ornamental bulbous ...
'' with star-shaped white flowers on umbel
In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...
s. It can be distinguished by its tepal
A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
s, which are channelled rather than flat. Like almost all species in the genus, it flowers with the autumn rains.[
]
Taxonomy
''Strumaria discifera'' was first described in 1992 by Dierdré A. Snijman who attributed the name to the earlier South African botanist, Rudolf Marloth.[ Two subspecies are accepted :][
*''Strumaria discifera'' subsp. ''bulbifera'' Snijman
*''Strumaria discifera'' subsp. ''discifera''
''S. discifera'' subsp. ''bulbifera'' forms large clumps of bulbs; ''S. discifera'' subsp. ''discifera'' is solitary.][
]
Distribution and habitat
''Strumaria discifera'' is native to the west and south-west Cape Provinces of South Africa.[ Species of ''Strumaria'' grow in areas that are seasonally moist.][
]
References
discifera
Flora of the Cape Provinces
Plants described in 1992
{{Amaryllidaceae-stub