Lachenalia trichophylla leaf

Lachenalia trichophylla grows one, rarely two prostrate leaves, sometimes not quite on the ground but near it. The base of the leaf has two large, rounded lobes, encircling the flower stem, one above the other and sheathing the stem down to the small, globose bulb.

The leaf-shape is ovate, tapering to an obtusely pointed tip. The blade is dark green and glossy, sometimes with purplish colouring towards the leaf tip and always hairy.

The hairs may on some plants vary in length as in the picture, the long hairs sparse and unevenly distributed. Some of the short hairs are stellate, i.e. the hairs branch above the base into small tufts. The leaf in picture also has small tubercles, sparsely scattered along the surface (Grenier, 2019; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; JSTOR; www.pacificbulbsociety.org).