Eucomis

Eucomis
Eucomis autumnalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Asparagaceae
Subfamily:	Scilloideae
Genus:	Eucomis L'Hér.
Type species
Eucomis regia (L.) L'Hér.
Synonyms[1]
Basilaea Juss. ex Lam. Eucomea Sol. ex Salisb.

Eucomis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to southern Africa.^[1] Most species of this genus are commonly referred to as pineapple flowers or pineapple lilies. They are bulbous perennials with basal rosettes of leaves with stout stems covered in star-shaped flowers with a tuft of green bracts at the top, superficially resembling a pineapple – hence the common names.^[2]

Systematics

The name Eucomis is of Greek origin, eu- meaning "pleasing" and kome "hair of the head", thus referring to the tuft of leaf-like bracts that crown the inflorescence of the species in this genus.

Species

Eucomis vandermerwei

The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognized 11 species, as of April 2014:^[1]

1. Eucomis amaryllidifolia Baker - South Africa
2. Eucomis autumnalis (Mill.) Chitt. (syn. E. undulata Aiton) - South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland
3. Eucomis bicolor Baker - South Africa, Lesotho
4. Eucomis comosa (Houtt.) Wehrh. (syns. E. punctata L'Hér., E. striata (Ker Gawl.) W.T.Aiton) - South Africa
5. Eucomis humilis Baker - South Africa, Lesotho
6. Eucomis montana Compton - South Africa, Swaziland
7. Eucomis pallidiflora Baker (syn. E. pole-evansii N.E.Br.) South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland
8. Eucomis regia (L.) Aiton - South Africa
9. Eucomis schijffii Reyneke - South Africa, Lesotho
10. Eucomis vandermerwei Verd. - Mpumalanga
11. Eucomis zambesiaca Baker - Malawi, Zimbabwe, Limpopo

Distribution

Eucomis is native to South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Species can be found in grassland, forest, swamps and on river banks, but are absent from the drier regions.^[3]

References

1. Search for "Eucomis", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2013-04-20
2. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
3. Eucomis autumnalis SANBI

Bibliography

• Crouch, Neil R. (2010), "An adaptation of Reyneke's key to the genus Eucomis" (PDF), PlantLife (39 & 40): 45–52, retrieved 2013-08-21
• Zonneveld, B. J. M.; Duncan, G. D. (10 December 2009). "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.
• Duncan, Graham (April 2013). "755. Eucomis amaryllidifolia". Curtis's Botanical Magazine. 30 (1): 49–55. doi:10.1111/curt.12016.
• Duncan, Graham (October 2011). "712. Eucomis vandermerwei". Curtis's Botanical Magazine. 28 (3): 176–189. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8748.2011.01744.x.

External links

• Pacific bulb society wiki