Geissorhiza splendidissima
| Blue pride-of-Nieuwoudtville | |
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Genus: | Geissorhiza |
| Species: | G. splendidissima
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| Binomial name | |
| Geissorhiza splendidissima | |
Geissorhiza splendidissima, the blue pride-of-Nieuwoudtville, is a plant species of geophyte in the family Iridaceae.[2] It is endemic to Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape of South Africa. It is also called the Bokkeveld pride and splendid satin.[1]
Description
[edit]Geissorhiza splendidissima has glossy, dark blue flowers with dark red-brown pollen. It has imbricate corm tunics typical of subg. Geissorhiza. The zygomorphic flowers with unilateral, declinate stamens and dark red-brown pollen are unusual, as is the somewhat ribbed sheath of the uppermost leaf. This character is shared with the apparently allied G. arenicola, a character that sets these two species somewhat apart in the section.[3]
Distribution
[edit]Geissorhiza splendidissima is found in damp areas of stony clay flats in Renosterveld vegetation on the Kouebokkeveld Mountains around Nieuwoudtville.
Conservation status
[edit]Geissorhiza splendidissima is listed in the Red List of South African Plants as Vulnerable due to having lost 80% of its habitat through farming encroachment, in addition to the fact that it is localised to a small area surrounding Nieuwoudtville.[1]
Ecology
[edit]The Namaqua rock rat and the Cape porcupine eat G. splendidissima. Ripened seeds fall off the plant which result in colonies of the plant.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Threatened Species Programme | SANBI Red List of South African Plants". redlist.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ "Splendid Satin (Geissorhiza splendidissima)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
- ^ "e-Flora of South Africa". E-Flora of South Africa. 1 (36). South African National Biodiversity Institute. 2022.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ "Geissorhiza splendidissima | PlantZAfrica". pza.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Geissorhiza splendidissima at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Geissorhiza splendidissima at Wikispecies
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