| Lady's hand | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Tecophilaeaceae |
| Genus: | Cyanella |
| Species: | C. hyacinthoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Cyanella hyacinthoides Royen ex L. | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Cyanella pentheri Zahlbr. | |
Cyanella hyacinthoides ("lady's hand" or "Raaptoluintjie") is a species of cormous annual or perennial herb native to the western parts of South Africa.
Description
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It has a basal rosette, with slender, lanceolate, crisped (wavy-margins) leaves.
The mauve, pink, purple or blue (rarely white) flowers are mildly scented, and appear on a spreading inflorescence in Spring (August to November in the southern hemisphere). The plant can be up to 40 centimetres high.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to the Cape region of South Africa, especially the renosterveld, where it usually grows in loamy soil in clay and granite slopes. Its range extends as far north as the Namaqualand, and southwards into the Overberg region of the southern Cape, as far as the town of Riversdale.
It is also reportedly naturalised in Western Australia.
The bulb is edible once cooked, and is said to serve as an onion substitute.
It tolerates drought but is vulnerable to frost.
References
- The Plant List, Cyanella hyacinthoides
- "Cyanella hyacinthoides L." FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- Linnaeus, Carl von. 1754. Genera Plantarum, ed. 5 522, et addenda, Cyanella hyacinthoides
- Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Cyanella hyacinthoides
- "Cyanella hyacinthoides Lady's Hand PFAF Plant Database".
External links
- Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). "Cyanella hyacinthoides". African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
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