Boophone
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The plant genus boophone belongs to the subfamily Amaryllidoideae within the family of the Amaryllis (Amaryllidaceae). The only two species are native to southern Africa to tropical East Africa.
Description and ecology
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Appearance and leaves
The Boophone species grow as perennial herbaceous plants that reach heights of 30 to 50 cm. They form onions as persistence organs, which protrude more or less far from the ground. The onions are densely covered by grayish onion skins (tunica). As geophytes, they pull in their leaves in the dry period, which only sprout again after the flowering period.
The 12 to 20 only basal and clearly two rows (like a fan, hence the rarely used common name fan lily), more or less upright leaves are sessile. The simple leaf blades are usually narrow, lanceolate, smooth and have parallel veins. The translucent leaf margin is smooth or sometimes wavy.
Inflorescence and flowers
The flowering time in South Africa is between September and March. The strong inflorescence stem is initially very short and often only lengthened when the flowers have already opened and it also lengthened further until fruit ripe. 50 to 100 or more flowers are dense and spherical on a thick stem in a dold-like inflorescence . When budding, two broad, triangular bracts (called spathe) surround the inflorescence; they are upright or bent back during anthesis and then soon wither. The flower stalks are relatively long and lengthen significantly until the fruit is ripe.
The relatively large flowers are hermaphroditic, radial symmetry and sixfold. The six identical tepals are fused to form a short, narrow tube. The free areas of the bracts are narrowly lanceolate, spread out and often bent back at the upper end, they are light to dark pink or cream-colored. The six more or less spread out long stamens tower above the flower envelope. The filaments are reddish-white, the dorsifix anthers are cream-colored. Three fruit leaves are a dreikammerigen under constant ovary grown. Each ovary chamber contains one or two ovules . The long, thin and upright or slightly curved stylus ends with an undivided, small scar. The fragrant flowers are pollinated by bees and flies.
Fruits and seeds
The triangular capsule fruits are tapered at their base and beaked short. The three edges of the capsule fruits are ribbed. The paper-like pericarp opens in irregular parts. The relatively large, with a diameter of 8 to 11 mm almost spherical seeds are light green and covered with thin cork. The embryo is green. The entire fruit cluster acts as a steppe roller ( Chamaechorie ) and thus ensures the seeds spread, but they soon break.
Chromosome number
The basic chromosome number is x = 11.
Systematics
The generic name Boophone was introduced in 1821 by William Herbert in An Appendix: General index to the Botanical magazine, Vol. 43-48 containing a treatise on bulbous roots By William Herbert with plates. London p. 18 first published . The spelling Boophane Herb is only synonymous . , Buphane Herb. and Buphone Herb. The botanical name boophone derives from the Greek words Bous for beef, ox and phonos for murder, slaughter, slaughter from, this refers to the toxicity of the onions, the cattle can kill.
Boophone is the only genus of the subtribe Boophoninae from the tribe Amaryllideae in the subfamily Amaryllidoideae within the family Amaryllidaceae . It used to be part of the Liliaceae family. The species Boophone flava W.F.Barker ex Snijman and Boophone guttata (L.) Herb. were reactivated in 1994 by Dietrich Müller-Doblies and Ute Müller-Doblies in De Liliifloris notulae: 5. Some new taxa and combinations in the Amaryllidaceae tribe Amaryllideae from arid southern Africa , In: Feddes Repertorium , Volume 105, pp. 331-363 in the reactivated Genus Crossyne Salisb. posed.
There are only two boophone - types :
- Boophone disticha (L. f.) Herb. (Syn .: Boophone longepedicellata Pax ): It is widespread from southern Africa to Uganda . In KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng , stocks are greatly reduced by collecting the onions. But it is not endangered.
- Boophone haemanthoides F.M.Leight (Syn .: Boophone ernestii-ruschii Dinter ex Solch , Boophone disticha var. Ernesti-ruschii Dinter & GMSchulze ): It thrives on dolerite and limestone outcrops in the winter rain area of the Namaqualand and the western Karoo . It is rated “Least Concern” in the Red List of Endangered Plant Species in South Africa.
use
The highly poisonous onions from Boophone disticha are very often used in traditional medicine in large parts of Africa.
More pictures
Habit with leaves and faded inflorescence.
Capsule fruits with seeds.
Seeds.
swell
- John C. Manning, Peter Goldblatt & Dee Snijman: The Color Encyclopedia of Cape Bulbs , 2002, Timber Press, Portland. ISBN 0-88192-547-0 (Description and Occurrence section): Boophone on pp. 94–95
Individual evidence
- ^ RH Archer, DA Snijman, RK Brummitt: (1478) Proposal to conserve the name Boophone Herbert with that spelling (Amaryllidaceae). In: Taxon . Volume 50, Issue 2, 2001, pp. 569-571 (JSTOR) .
- ↑ Entry in Tropicos . Retrieved February 7, 2012
- ^ A b Boophone in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
- ↑ a b c Boophone , In: National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants .
- ↑ Eliot Lithudzha, August 2005: Boophone disticha (Lf) Herb. at PlantZAfrica from the South African National Biodiversity Institute = SANBI.
- ↑ Colleen Rust, January 2011: Boophone haemanthoides FMLeight at PlantZAfrica from the South African National Biodiversity Institute = SANBI.
