Baeometra uniflora

Baeometra uniflora, the beetle lily, is a small, cormous perennial that reaches heights to about 25 cm. The genus is monotypic, this plant being the only member of its genus.

The generic name is derived from the Greek words baeo meaning small and metra meaning a measure, referring to the plants small size. Uniflora is a Latin word meaning one flower; the plant usually bears several flowers.

A few narrow leaves clasp the erect stem. Flowers are produced in a spike during late winter and spring. The flowers are yellow to orange inside the tepals, brick-red on the outside and dark inside the base of the flower.

The species distribution is in the southern parts of the Western Cape from Malmesbury to Riversdale.

The habitat is damp, rocky sandstone and granite slopes in the winter rainfall region. The plants grow among fynbos and in renosterveld. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century.

The plant is believed to be poisonous and may cause stock losses (Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Manning, 2007; Bean and Johns, 2005; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).