| Eucomis montana | |
|---|---|
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| Flowers | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Scilloideae |
| Genus: | Eucomis |
| Species: | E. montana |
| Binomial name | |
| Eucomis montana Compton | |
Eucomis montana is a plant species in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, found in South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Provinces) and Eswatini (Swaziland). When in flower in summer, the plant reaches a height of up to 45 cm (1 ft 6 in), with a dense spike (raceme) of greenish flowers, topped by a "head" of green bracts.
Description
Eucomis montana is a perennial growing from a large ovoid bulb with a diameter of up to 8 cm (3+1⁄4 in). Like other Eucomis species, it has a basal rosette of strap-shaped leaves. These are about 50 cm (20 in) long and 12 cm (4+1⁄2 in) wide, with smooth margins and purple spots or speckles underneath. The inflorescence, produced in late summer, is a dense raceme. The plant reaches an overall height of around 25–45 cm (10 in – 1 ft 6 in). The individual flowers have greenish tepals and stamens with purple filaments, and are borne on short stalks (pedicels) 5–10 mm (1⁄5–2⁄5 in) long. The inflorescence is topped by a head (coma) of green bracts, up to 5 cm (2 in) long.
The homoisoflavanone 5,6-dimethoxy-7-hydroxy-3-(4′-hydroxybenzyl)-4-chromanone can be found in the bulbs of E. montana.
Taxonomy
Eucomis montana was first described by Robert Harold Compton in 1967, after he retired to Eswatini (then Swaziland) where it was first found. The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains. It is one of a group of larger, tetraploid species with 2n = 4x = 60 chromosomes.
Distribution and habitat
Eucomis montana was initially discovered in Eswatini, where it grew in colonies on damp grassland slopes at elevations of 1,500 m (4,900 ft). It has since also been found in South Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Provinces. It grows at elevations of up to 2,080 m (6,820 ft).
Cultivation
As of 2007, it was said to be very rare in cultivation, but should prove to be "at least frost-hardy".
References
- ^ "Eucomis montana". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
- ^ Compton, James (1990). "Eucomis L'Heritier". The Plantsman. 12 (3): 129–139.
- ^ "Eucomis montana Compton". African Plant Database. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
- Koorbanally, Neil A.; Crouch, Neil R.; Harilal, Avinash; Pillay, Bavani; Pillay, Bavani & Mulholland, Dulcie A. (2006). "Coincident isolation of a novel homoisoflavonoid from Resnova humifusa and Eucomis montana (Hyacinthoideae: Hyacinthaceae)". Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 34 (2): 114–118. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2005.08.003.
- Smith, Archibald William (1997). "montanus, -a, -um". A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins. Mineola, NY: Dover. p. 239. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
- Zonneveld, B.J.M. & Duncan, G.D. (2010). "Genome sizes of Eucomis L'Hér. (Hyacinthaceae) and a description of the new species Eucomis grimshawii G.D.Duncan & Zonneveld". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 284 (1–2): 99–109. doi:10.1007/s00606-009-0236-y.
- Duncan, Graham (2007), "Lesser-known Eucomis", The Plantsman, New Series, 6 (2): 98–103
External links
Media related to Eucomis montana at Wikimedia Commons
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Eucomis montana | |