Babiana tubiflora

Babiana tubiflora, previously B. tubulosa var. tubiflora, is a cormous perennial reaching heights from 7 cm to 15 cm. The deeply underground corm is globose, covered by a fibrous tunic that is not visible on the neck of the stem above-ground.

The pale-haired leaves emerge from the ground, attached to the top of the below-ground corm. The lance-shaped blades are narrow, acutely pointed and conspicuously ribbed. The leaves are up to 6 mm wide and longer than the stem.

A long, slender corolla tube is visible on the open flower and the bud in picture.

The species distribution is narrowly coastal in the southwest of the Western Cape from Lambert’s Bay to Stilbaai. The photo was taken at Tietiesbaai.

The habitat is deep, acidic and nutrient-poor sandy soil on coastal dunes, strandveld and fynbos, receiving winter rain. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century, although its population is decreasing due to invader vegetation and human activities (Manning, 2007; Manning and Goldblatt, 1996; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).