Leo's Mystery Strumaria

David Victor davidxvictor@btinternet.com
Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:43:29 PST
Dear Mary Sue,

With apologies for the delay - I've been out of town and am just 
catching up with things.

As you say, in her book, "Systematics of Hessea, Strumaria and 
Carpolyza", Snijman identifies two subspecies.  The first, subspecies 
bulbifera, is found in the dolerite koppies around 
Nieuwoudtville.  It is "densely clump-forming", as indicated in 
Dylan's note, and has "..a pronounced discoid stylar swelling with an 
irregular frilly rim".  It is illustrated on page 112, which clearly 
indicates the nature of that rim.  The left hand photograph of Leo's 
plant on the WIKI has that stylar construction and so fits the description.

The other, subspecies discifera, is found to the east of 
Nieuwoudtville through to Middlepos, in "..scattered aggregations of 
solitary bulbs", again echoing Dylan.  It has a disc-like stylar 
swelling "..but these are not as broad..and lack a prominent 
rim.  Elsewhere the stylar swelling tends to be bulbiform.."  Again, 
it is illustrated well on page 111.

On the subject of Merendera versus Colchicum, Persson's view has been 
accepted by Kew - see http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/


Best regards,
David Victor 


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