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Bulbil Bugle Lily

Watsonia meriana (L.) Mill.

Comments

provided by eFloras
Most Watsonia plants recorded from North America correspond to the triploid, sexually sterile form of W. meriana, also known as W. bulbillifera, which reproduces by means of cormlets produced at the aerial nodes. Most of the flowers do not produce capsules, but a few, containing viable seeds, are occasionally formed. Chromosome number in the Californian plants has not been determined.
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 26: 399, 402 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
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Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Description

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Plants sometimes growing in dense clumps, 50–200 cm. Corms tunicate, depressed-globose, 30–45 mm diam.; tunic fibrous, fibers coarse, reticulate. Stems simple or 1–2-branched, often with large cormlets in proximal axils, occasionally also in distal axils of stem, spike. Leaves 4–6, basal leaves 3–4, blade lanceolate, 12–35 mm wide; cauline leaves smaller than basal, blade with margins and midribs hyaline, heavily thickened. Spikes 8–12(–25)-flowered; spathes often flushed with red, outer 18–30 mm, dry in distal 3–5 mm, inner slightly longer to slightly shorter than outer. Tepals orange, red, or purple, lanceolate, outer slightly narrower than inner, 22–27 × 8–15 mm; perianth tube proximally slender, 18–25 mm wide, abruptly expanded distally, 20–25 mm wide; filaments 35–45 mm; anthers 8–12 mm; ovary oblong, 3–4 mm; style branching opposite middle of anthers; branches 6–7 mm. Capsules 22–30 mm. Seeds prominently winged distally, weakly or not winged proximally, 10–18 mm.
license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 26: 399, 402 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
editor
Flora of North America Editorial Committee
project
eFloras.org
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eFloras

Habitat & Distribution

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Flowering May--Jul. Roadsides and grassy banks; introduced; Calif.; South Africa.
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cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
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Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 26: 399, 402 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
editor
Flora of North America Editorial Committee
project
eFloras.org
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eFloras

Synonym

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Gladiolus merianus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 863. 1759; Watsonia bulbillifera J. W. Mathews & L. Bolus
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cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
copyright
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA
bibliographic citation
Flora of North America Vol. 26: 399, 402 in eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed Nov 12, 2008.
source
Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
editor
Flora of North America Editorial Committee
project
eFloras.org
original
visit source
partner site
eFloras

Watsonia meriana

provided by wikipedia EN

Watsonia meriana is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae known by the common name bulbil bugle-lily. It is one of several Watsonia species known as wild watsonia. It is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa,[1] but it is well known as an ornamental plant grown in gardens for its showy spikes of flowers, and is an invasive species in areas where it has escaped cultivation.

Description

It is a perennial herb growing from a fibrous-coated corm and growing to a maximum height well over one meter when in flower, sometimes reaching two meters. Each corm produces three or four erect, lance-shaped leaves that measure up to 60 centimeters long by 6 wide. They have thickened midribs and margins. The inflorescence is an open spike of 8 to 25 flowers which may be in shades of orange to reddish or purplish. The flower is up to 8 centimeters long, with a long, tubular throat and spreading tepals.

The flowers sometimes yield capsule fruits which contain seed, but the plant often reproduces via bulbils (strictly speaking, cormlets) that form in clusters in the axils of bracts at nodes along the peduncle. The bulbils can sprout if dropped into the soil, sometimes forming dense colonies,[2] as can sections of corm that are chopped and dispersed by plowing or by non-intensive feeding by root-eating animals. In its native habitat, the plant is valuable as food for local mole-rats (Cryptomys and Georychus species), and for Cape porcupines (Hystrix africaeaustralis)

Like some other Watsonia species, in suitable climates, W. meriana can take hold in the wild as a weedy introduced species. It has become habituated along the southern coast of Australia, in New Zealand, and on the North Coast of California.[3][4][5] The plant forms dense colonies that crowd other plant species, and is generally avoided by wildlife as a food source in areas where it is not native.[6]

References

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Watsonia meriana: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

Watsonia meriana is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae known by the common name bulbil bugle-lily. It is one of several Watsonia species known as wild watsonia. It is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa, but it is well known as an ornamental plant grown in gardens for its showy spikes of flowers, and is an invasive species in areas where it has escaped cultivation.

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