Geissorhiza splendidissima

Geissorhiza splendidissima, the blue pride-of-Nieuwoudtville, is a plant species of geophyte in the family Iridaceae.[2] It is endemic to Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape of South Africa. It is also called the Bokkeveld pride and splendid satin.[1]

Blue pride-of-Nieuwoudtville
Vulnerable (Red List of South African Plants)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Geissorhiza
Species:
G. splendidissima
Binomial name
Geissorhiza splendidissima

Description

Geissorhiza splendidissima has glossy, dark blue flowers with dark red-brown pollen. It has imbricate corm tunics typical of subg. Geissorhiza. The zygomorphic flowers with unilateral, declinate stamens and dark red-brown pollen are unusual, as is the somewhat ribbed sheath of the uppermost leaf. This character is shared with the apparently allied G. arenicola, a character that sets these two species somewhat apart in the section.[3]

Distribution

Geissorhiza splendidissima is found in damp areas of stony clay flats in Renosterveld vegetation on the Kouebokkeveld Mountains around Nieuwoudtville.

Conservation status

Geissorhiza splendidissima is listed on the Red List of South African Plants as Vulnerable due to having lost 80% of its habitat through farming encroachment, in addition to the fact that it is localised to a small area surrounding Nieuwoudtville.[1]

Ecology

The Namaqua rock rat and the Cape porcupine eat G. splendidissima. Ripened seeds fall off the plant which result in colonies of the plant.[4]

References
  1. "Threatened Species Programme | SANBI Red List of South African Plants". redlist.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  2. "Splendid Satin (Geissorhiza splendidissima)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  3. "e-Flora of South Africa". E-Flora of South Africa. South African National Biodiversity Institute. 1 (36). 2022.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. "Geissorhiza splendidissima | PlantZAfrica". pza.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2023-05-11.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.