Eucomis montana

Eucomis montana is a plant species in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, found in South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Provinces) and Eswatini (Swaziland).[1] When in flower in summer, the plant reaches a height of up to 45 cm (1 ft 6 in), with a dense spike (raceme) of greenish flowers, topped by a "head" of green bracts.

Eucomis montana
Flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Scilloideae
Genus: Eucomis
Species:
E. montana
Binomial name
Eucomis montana
Compton[1]

Description

Eucomis montana is a perennial growing from a large ovoid bulb with a diameter of up to 8 cm (3 1⁄4 in). Like other Eucomis species, it has a basal rosette of strap-shaped leaves. These are about 50 cm (20 in) long and 12 cm (4 1⁄2 in) wide, with smooth margins and purple spots or speckles underneath. The inflorescence, produced in late summer, is a dense raceme.[2] The plant reaches an overall height of around 25–45 cm (10 in–1 ft 6 in).[3] The individual flowers have greenish tepals and stamens with purple filaments, and are borne on short stalks (pedicels) 5–10 mm (1⁄5–2⁄5 in) long. The inflorescence is topped by a head (coma) of green bracts, up to 5 cm (2 in) long.[2]

The homoisoflavanone 5,6-dimethoxy-7-hydroxy-3-(4′-hydroxybenzyl)-4-chromanone can be found in the bulbs of E. montana.[4]

Taxonomy

Eucomis montana was first described by Robert Harold Compton in 1967,[1] after he retired to Eswatini (then Swaziland) where it was first found.[2] The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains.[5] It is one of a group of larger, tetraploid species with 2n = 4x = 60 chromosomes.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Eucomis montana was initially discovered in Eswatini, where it grew in colonies on damp grassland slopes at elevations of 1,500 m (4,900 ft).[2] It has since also been found in South Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Provinces.[1] It grows at elevations of up to 2,080 m (6,820 ft).[3]

Cultivation

As of 2007, it was said to be very rare in cultivation, but should prove to be "at least frost-hardy".[7]

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References
  1. "Eucomis montana". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  2. Compton, James (1990). "Eucomis L'Heritier". The Plantsman. 12 (3): 129–139.
  3. "Eucomis montana Compton". African Plant Database. Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques & South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  4. Koorbanally, Neil A.; Crouch, Neil R.; Harilal, Avinash; Pillay, Bavani; Pillay, Bavani & Mulholland, Dulcie A. (2006). "Coincident isolation of a novel homoisoflavonoid from Resnova humifusa and Eucomis montana (Hyacinthoideae: Hyacinthaceae)". Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 34 (2): 114–118. doi:10.1016/j.bse.2005.08.003.
  5. Smith, Archibald William (1997). "montanus, -a, -um". A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins. Mineola, NY: Dover. p. 239. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
  6. Zonneveld, B.J.M. & Duncan, G.D. (2010). "Genome sizes of Eucomis L'Hér. (Hyacinthaceae) and a description of the new species Eucomis grimshawii G.D.Duncan & Zonneveld". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 284 (1–2): 99–109. doi:10.1007/s00606-009-0236-y.
  7. Duncan, Graham (2007), "Lesser-known Eucomis", The Plantsman (New Series), 6 (2): 98–103
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