''Lachenalia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

bulb 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 dur ...

ous

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 ...

s in the family

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, '' Asparagus officinalis''. Those who live in the temperate ...

, subfamily

Scilloideae Scilloideae (named after the genus '' Scilla'', "squill") is a subfamily of bulbous plants within the family '' Asparagaceae''. Scilloideae is sometimes treated as a separate family Hyacinthaceae, named after the genus '' Hyacinthus''. Scilloideae ...

, which are usually found in

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. Most of them have a dormancy period, but new

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...

s will always grow every year. ''Lachenalia'' is named after the Swiss botanist Werner de Lachenal (1736-1800). Species are sometimes known as Cape cowslip, though they are not even somewhat related to the true cowslip ''

Primula veris ''Primula veris'', the cowslip, common cowslip, or cowslip primrose ( syn. ''Primula officinalis'' ), is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the primrose family Primulaceae. The species is native throughout most of temperate Europe and ...

''.

Species

, the ''Plants of the World Online'' accepted 136 species:Search for "Lachenalia", *'' Lachenalia alba'' W.F.Barker ex G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia algoensis'' Schönland *'' Lachenalia aloides'' (L.f.) Engl. *''

Lachenalia ameliae ''Lachenalia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of them have a dormancy period, but new roots will always grow every year. ''Lache ...

'' W.F.Barker *''

Lachenalia angelica ''Lachenalia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of them have a dormancy period, but new roots will always grow every year. ''Lache ...

'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia anguinea'' Sweet *'' Lachenalia arbuthnotiae'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia attenuata'' W.F.Barker ex G.D.Duncan *''

Lachenalia aurioliae ''Lachenalia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of them have a dormancy period, but new roots will always grow every year. ''Lache ...

'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia bachmannii'' Baker *'' Lachenalia barkeriana'' U.Müll.-Doblies *'' Lachenalia bolusii'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia bowkeri'' Baker *'' Lachenalia buchubergensis'' Dinter *''

Lachenalia bulbifera ''Lachenalia bulbifera'', syn. ''L. pendula'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to the Western Cape of South Africa. It is a bulbous perennial growing to tall by broad, with strap-shaped spotted leaves and fl ...

'' (Cirillo) Engl. *''

Lachenalia campanulata ''Lachenalia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of them have a dormancy period, but new roots will always grow every year. ''Lache ...

'' Baker *''

Lachenalia capensis ''Lachenalia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of them have a dormancy period, but new roots will always grow every year. ''Lache ...

'' W.F.Barker *''

Lachenalia carnosa ''Lachenalia carnosa'' is a species of geophyte in the genus '' Lachenalia''. It is endemic to the Northern Cape and Western Cape. It is also known by the names Namakwa- persviooltjie (Afrikaans for small purple Namaqua violin) and flesh viooltji ...

'' Baker *'' Lachenalia cernua'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia comptonii'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia concordiana'' Schltr. ex W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia congesta'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia contaminata'' Aiton *'' Lachenalia convallarioides'' Baker *'' Lachenalia corymbosa'' (L.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt *'' Lachenalia dasybotrya'' Diels *'' Lachenalia dehoopensis'' W.F.Barker *''

Lachenalia doleritica ''Lachenalia'' is a genus of bulbous perennial plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, which are usually found in Namibia and South Africa. Most of them have a dormancy period, but new roots will always grow every year. ''Lache ...

'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia duncanii'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia elegans'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia ensifolia'' (Thunb.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt *'' Lachenalia fistulosa'' Baker *''

Lachenalia flava ''Lachenalia flava'', the golden opal flower, is a species of flowering plant in the genus '' Lachenalia'' native to the southwest Cape Provinces of South Africa. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit The Award ...

'' Andrews *'' Lachenalia framesii'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia giessii'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia glaucophylla'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia haarlemensis'' Fourc. *'' Lachenalia hirta'' (Thunb.) Thunb. *'' Lachenalia inconspicua'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia isopetala'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia juncifolia'' Baker *'' Lachenalia karooica'' W.F.Barker ex G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia klinghardtiana'' Dinter *'' Lachenalia kliprandensis'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia lactosa'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia latimerae'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia leipoldtii'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia leomontana'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia liliiflora'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia longibracteata'' E.Phillips *'' Lachenalia longituba'' (A.M.van der Merwe) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt *'' Lachenalia lutea'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia luteola'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia lutzeyeri'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia macgregoriorum'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia margaretae'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia marginata'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia marlothii'' W.F.Barker ex G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia martiniae'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia mathewsii'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia maughanii'' (W.F.Barker) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt *'' Lachenalia maximiliani'' Schltr. ex W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia mediana'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia minima'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia moniliformis'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia montana'' Schltr. ex W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia multifolia'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia mutabilis'' Lodd. ex Sweet *'' Lachenalia namaquensis'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia namibiensis'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia nardousbergensis'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia neilii'' W.F.Barker ex G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia nervosa'' Ker Gawl. *'' Lachenalia nutans'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia obscura'' Schltr. ex G.D.Duncan *''

Lachenalia orchioides ''Lachenalia orchioides'', the orchidlike Cape cowslip, is a species of flowering plant in the genus '' Lachenalia'', native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit The Awar ...

'' (L.) Aiton *'' Lachenalia orthopetala'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia pallida'' Aiton *'' Lachenalia patula'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia paucifolia'' (W.F.Barker) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt *'' Lachenalia pearsonii'' (R.Glover) W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia peersii'' Marloth ex W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia perryae'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia physocaulos'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia polyphylla'' Baker *'' Lachenalia polypodantha'' Schltr. ex W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia punctata'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia purpureocaerulea'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia pusilla'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia quadricolor'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia reflexa'' Thunb. *'' Lachenalia rosea'' Andrews *'' Lachenalia salteri'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia sargeantii'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia schelpei'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia schlechteri'' Baker *'' Lachenalia sessiliflora'' Andrews *'' Lachenalia splendida'' Diels *'' Lachenalia stayneri'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia thomasiae'' W.F.Barker ex G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia trichophylla'' Baker *'' Lachenalia undulata'' Masson ex Baker *'' Lachenalia unifolia'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia valeriae'' G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia variegata'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia ventricosa'' Schltr. ex W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia verticillata'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia violacea'' Jacq. *'' Lachenalia viridiflora'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia whitehillensis'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia wrightii'' Baker *'' Lachenalia xerophila'' Schltr. ex G.D.Duncan *'' Lachenalia youngii'' Baker in W.H.Harvey & auct. suc. (eds.) *'' Lachenalia zebrina'' W.F.Barker *'' Lachenalia zeyheri'' Baker In addition, '' Lachenalia nordenstamii'' W.F.Barker was listed as "threatened" in the 2006 IUCN Red List, but the name was not accepted by the ''World Checklist of Selected Plant Families''.

Cultivation

Several species are cultivated as garden plants. The following have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

’s

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. *''Lachenalia'' ‘Rupert’ *''Lachenalia bulbifera'' ‘George’ *''Lachenalia contaminata'' *''Lachenalia corymbosa'' *''Lachenalia flava'' *''Lachenalia pustulata'' *''Lachenalia quadricolor'' *''Lachenalia vanzyliae'' *''Lachenalia viridiflora''

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

Pacific Bulb Society: ''Lachenalia''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q144704 Asparagaceae genera