Boophone disticha leaf and flower beginnings

Boophone disticha is a perennial geophyte that rarely grows taller than 25 cm. It occurs in both winter and summer rainfall regions of South Africa, in two slightly different forms adapted to the growing seasons brought about by these rainfall patterns.

The winter region form, found from Bredasdorp eastwards, is smaller, flowering mainly in spring. The bigger summer rainfall form flowers from spring to summer, even early autumn.

The distichous leaves, i.e. growing in two opposing ranks in the same plane like a fan, are grey, strap-shaped and varying in the waviness of their margins. The leaves usually appear after bloom-time, but this Gauteng plant is producing leaves while the inflorescence is still developing.

The inflorescence in picture is spreading individual flowers from the initial erect clump into the dense, semi-spherical umbel it will be in its prime. The many (70 to 100) six-tepalled flowers in a typical inflorescence may be any one of several shades of pink or pale red.

There is a broad, triangular bract at the base of the flowers. Two opposite bracts covered the flowers in the bud phase.

The flower umbel reminds of Brunsvigia, the Amaryllidaceae family member of Boophone that mostly grows bigger bears fewer flowers (Duncan, 2010; Mustart, et al, 1997).