Dipcadi brevifolium

Dipcadi brevifolium, in Afrikaans commonly known as the slangui (snake onion) and way back scientifically as Ornithogalum hyacinthiflorum, is a small and slender geophyte reaching heights from 15 cm to 40 cm. The globose to ovoid bulb reaches 4 cm in diameter, its outer tunics thin.

One to four, thread-like or linear leaves are borne. They may be straight or coiled, sometimes dry by flowering time.

The species distribution is in the Northern, the Western and the Eastern Cape, ranging from around Clanwilliam to Worcester, the Little Karoo and inland further east. The photo was taken in the Biedouw Valley.

The habitat is stony flats and slopes in karoid conditions. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Moriarty, 1997; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://worldfloraonline.org; http://redlist.sanbi.org).