Strumaria gemmata

Strumaria gemmata is a geophyte that produces leaves and a large inflorescence annually from its perennial bulbous rootstock. The two above-ground features emerge at different times during the year. The inflorescence of the autumn-flowering plant was on time for this April photo.

The inflorescence top defines the plants height of about 40 cm. Spaced, small flowers are borne on long pedicels in an umbel of about 15 to 20 flowers on a long scape. The blooming season is prolonged by some buds in the centre of the umbel, waiting their turn while seed may already be growing in the oldest, fertilised flowers below.

The species distribution ranges acros the west, south and centre of South Africa, in the Western Cape, the Northern Cape, the Free State and the Eastern Cape, well-known in the Little Karoo from Ladismith eastwards over the Swartberge into the Great Karoo.

The plants grow in scrub and renosterveld in loam soils, on calcrete outcrops or well-drained flats in some drier parts of both winter and summer rainfall areas. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; iNaturalist; Wikipedia; http://redlist.sanbi.org).