Bulbine narcissifolia

Bulbine narcissifolia, the strap-leaved bulbine and in Afrikaans the wildekopieva (wild kopiva), is a rhizomatous perennial that reaches 30 cm in height when flowering. The rootstock is short, the roots fleshy.

The species distribution is widespread, from the Eastern Cape and the far east of the Western Cape through the Free State and inland KwaZulu-Natal to the provinces north of the Vaal River but shunning the Lowveld and through much of Africa to Ethiopia.

The habitat is variable grassland including overgrazed parts where the soil is poor. The plant tends to take over on poorly managed farm land. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

The plant features in traditional medicine relating to skin problems and childbirth (Easton-Brown and Kruger, 2023; Manning, 2009; Pooley, 1998; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).