genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae (), known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, '' Asparagus officinalis''. This family includes both ...
, subfamily
Scilloideae
Scilloideae (named after the genus ''Scilla'', "squill") is a subfamily of bulbous plants within the family ''Asparagaceae''. Scilloideae is sometimes treated as a separate family Hyacinthaceae, named after the genus ''Hyacinth (plant), Hyacinthus ...
. The genus is distributed mainly in southern and eastern
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
, with some species occurring in northern Africa and the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
. Plants of the genus are known commonly as slime lilies.
Description
These are perennial herbs growing from
bulb
In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...
s. The stem is sheathed in leaves with linear to strap-shaped blades. They can be 8 centimeters to well over one meter long and are flat or keeled. They are generally fleshy and sappy with a
mucilaginous
Mucilage is a thick gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms. These microorganisms include protists which use it for their locomotion, with the direction of their movement always opposite to that of the secretion of ...
juice that inspired the common name "slime lilies". The flowers of some species are scented, especially at night. They are borne in
raceme
A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...
s, usually slender, but flat-topped in some species. The flowers may be on stiff, or slender, nodding stalks, held erect or drooping. The six
tepal
A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
s are white to yellow and each has a green or brown stripe down the center. The outer three tepals spread open, while the inner three are connivent, curving inward so that the tips meet. There are six
stamen
The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...
s, which have wings at the bases that wrap around the ovary at the center of the flower. Some species have six fertile stamens, and in others the outer stamens are
staminode
In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co ...
s which do not produce pollen. The fruit is a rounded or oval three-lobed capsule containing shiny black seeds.
The three inner tepals can be closed firmly, raising the question of how
pollinator
A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female carpel, stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains.
Insects are ...
pollen
Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...
. In a study of the interaction between pollinators and ''Albuca'' flowers,
leafcutter bees
The genus ''Megachile'' is a cosmopolitan group of solitary bees, often called leafcutter bees or leafcutting bees; it also includes the resin bees and mortar bees. While other genera within the family Megachilidae may chew leaves or petals in ...
were observed prying open the tepals and squeezing through to obtain the
nectar
Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...
inside. In the process, they left pollen on the tips of the tepals, where it absorbed fluid, germinated, and fertilized ovules. This was the first known case of flower petals performing the function of the stigma. The only thing even distantly similar is ''
Lacandonia
''Lacandonia'' is a mycoheterotrophic plant that contains no chlorophyll and has the unusual characteristic of inverted positions of the male (androecium) and female (gynoecium) floral parts, something that had not been seen in any other plants, ...
'' where the pollen tube travels down the stamen, across the base and up the pistils to pollinate from below.
Systematics
The genus is
circumscribed In geometry, a circumscribed circle for a set of points is a circle passing through each of them. Such a circle is said to ''circumscribe'' the points or a polygon formed from them; such a polygon is said to be ''inscribed'' in the circle.
* Circum ...
in two ways. The traditional genus ''Albuca'' is a
monophyletic
In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria:
# the grouping contains its own most recent co ...
group of about 60 known species, and possibly about 100 in total. Other authorities have considered ''Albuca'' in a wider sense, including such genera as ''Stellarioides'', ''Coilonox'', ''Trimelopter'', and ''Battandiera'', for a total of 110 to 180 very heterogeneous species. All of these genera, including ''Albuca'', have also been lumped together in ''
Ornithogalum
''Ornithogalum'' is a genus of perennial plants mostly native to southern Europe and southern Africa belonging to the family Asparagaceae. Some species are native to other areas such as the Caucasus. Some species are classified as noxious invas ...
'' at times, but
molecular phylogenetics
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
studies support their separation.
Species
The genus, defined broadly, contains about 160 accepted species, according to the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families .
* ''
Albuca abyssinica
''Albuca abyssinica'' ( syn. ''Albuca melleri''), known in Tanzania by the common names koyosa and kitunguu pori, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to tropical regions in Africa. The flowers grow terminal raceme ...
'' Jacq. – Tropical & S. Africa, S.W. Arabian Peninsula
* ''
Albuca acuminata
''Albuca acuminata'' is a species of small, perennial, bulbous plant in the asparagus family. It is native to southern Africa from Namibia to the Cape Province of South Africa, where it occurs in rocky areas, as far east as Port Alfred.
Descript ...
'' Baker – Namibia to W. Cape Province
* ''
Albuca adlami
''Albuca'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus is distributed mainly in southern and eastern Africa, with some species occurring in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Plants of the g ...
'' Baker – Northern Province ?
* ''
Albuca albucoides
''Albuca'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus is distributed mainly in southern and eastern Africa, with some species occurring in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Plants of the g ...
Albuca amboensis
''Albuca'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus is distributed mainly in southern and eastern Africa, with some species occurring in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Plants of the g ...
'' (Schinz) Oberm. – Namibia to Botswana
* '' Albuca amoena'' (Batt.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – N.W. Sahara
* '' Albuca anisocrispa'' Mart.-Azorín & M.B.Crespo – E. Cape Province
* '' Albuca annulata'' Mart.-Azorín & M.B.Crespo – Eastern Cape Province
* '' Albuca arenosa'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca aurea'' Jacq. – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca autumnula'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca bakeri'' Mart.-Azorín & M.B.Crespo – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca barbata'' (Jacq.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Cape Province
* '' Albuca batteniana'' Hilliard & B.L.Burtt – S. Cape Province – wild coast albuca
* '' Albuca bifolia'' Baker – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca bifoliata'' R.A.Dyer – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca boucheri'' U.Müll.-Doblies – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca bracteata'' (Thunb.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – E. Cape Province to KwaZulu-Natal
* '' Albuca bruce-bayeri'' U.Müll.-Doblies – Cape Province
* '' Albuca buchananii'' Baker – S. Tropical Africa
* '' Albuca canadensis'' (L.) F.M.Leight. – Cape Province
* '' Albuca candida'' (Oberm.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia
* '' Albuca caudata'' Jacq. – S.E. Cape Province
* '' Albuca chartacea'' (Mart.-Azorín, M.B.Crespo & A.P.Dold) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Eastern Cape Province
* '' Albuca chlorantha'' Welw. ex Baker – Angola
* '' Albuca ciliaris'' U.Müll.-Doblies – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca clanwilliamae-gloria'' U.Müll.-Doblies – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca collina'' Baker – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca comosa'' (Welw. ex Baker) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Angola
* '' Albuca concordiana'' Baker – Namibia to Cape Province
* '' Albuca consanguinea'' (Kunth) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca cooperi'' Baker – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca corymbosa'' Baker – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca costatula'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia
* '' Albuca craibii'' (Mart.-Azorín, M.B.Crespo & A.P.Dold) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – North-West Province
* '' Albuca cremnophila'' van Jaarsv. & A.E.van Wyk – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca crinifolia'' Baker – KwaZulu-Natal
* '' Albuca crispa'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – S. Cape Province to Free state
* '' Albuca crudenii'' Archibald – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca dalyae'' Baker – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca darlingana'' U.Müll.-Doblies – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca deaconii'' van Jaarsv. – KwaZulu-Natal
* '' Albuca decipiens'' U.Müll.-Doblies – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca deserticola'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia to N.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca dilucula'' (Oberm.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Cape Province
* '' Albuca dinteri'' U.Müll.-Doblies – Namibia
* '' Albuca donaldsonii'' Rendle – Ethiopia to Tanzania
* '' Albuca dyeri'' (Poelln.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Cape Province
* '' Albuca echinosperma'' U.Müll.-Doblies – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca engleriana'' K.Krause & Dinter – Namibia
* '' Albuca etesiogaripensis'' U.Müll.-Doblies – Namibia to N.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca fastigiata'' Dryand. – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca fibrotunicata'' Gledhill & Oyewole – Niger to Cameroon
* '' Albuca flaccida'' Jacq. – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca foetida'' U.Müll.-Doblies – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca fragrans'' Jacq. – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca gageoides'' K.Krause – Namibia
* '' Albuca galeata'' Welw. ex Baker – Angola
* '' Albuca gariepensis'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – N. Cape Province
* '' Albuca gentilii'' De Wild. – Zaïre
* '' Albuca gethylloides'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca gildenhuysii'' (van Jaarsv.) van Jaarsv. - N.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca glandulifera'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia to N.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca glandulosa'' Baker – Cape Province
* '' Albuca glauca'' Baker – Northern Province
* '' Albuca glaucifolia'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca goswinii'' U.Müll.-Doblies – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca grandis'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Western Cape Province
* '' Albuca hallii'' U.Müll.-Doblies – Namibia to W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca hereroensis'' Schinz – Namibia
* '' Albuca hesquaspoortensis'' U.Müll.-Doblies – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca homblei'' De Wild. – Zaïre
* '' Albuca humilis'' Baker – Free State to KwaZulu-Natal
* '' Albuca juncifolia'' Baker – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca karachabpoortensis'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca karasbergensis'' Glover – Namibia
* '' Albuca karooica'' U.Müll.-Doblies – Namibia to Cape Province
* '' Albuca katangensis'' De Wild. – S. Zaïre
* '' Albuca kirkii'' (Baker) Brenan – Kenya to S. Tropical Africa
* '' Albuca kirstenii'' (J.C.Manning & Goldblatt) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – S.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca knersvlaktensis'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – S.W. Cape Province
* ''
Albuca kundelungensis
''Albuca'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus is distributed mainly in southern and eastern Africa, with some species occurring in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Plants of the g ...
'' De Wild. – Zaïre
* '' Albuca lebaensis'' (van Jaarsv.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Angola
* '' Albuca leucantha'' U.Müll.-Doblies – N.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca longifolia'' Baker – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca longipes'' Baker – Cape Province
* '' Albuca macowanii'' Baker – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca malangensis'' Baker – Angola
* '' Albuca massonii'' Baker – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca monarchos'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca monophylla'' Baker – Angola to Namibia
* '' Albuca myogaloides'' Welw. ex Baker – Angola
* '' Albuca namaquensis'' Baker – Namibia to Cape Province
* '' Albuca nana'' Schönland – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca nathoana'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca navicula'' U.Müll.-Doblies – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca nelsonii'' N.E.Br. – E. Cape Province to KwaZulu-Natal – Nelson's slime lily
* '' Albuca nigritana'' (Baker) Troupin – W. Tropical Africa to Rwanda
* '' Albuca obtusa'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca osmynella'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca ovata'' (Thunb.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Cape Province
* '' Albuca papyracea'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Cape Province
* '' Albuca paradoxa'' Dinter – Namibia to W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca paucifolia'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Cape Province
* '' Albuca pearsonii'' (F.M.Leight.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia to N.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca pendula'' B.Mathew – S.W. Saudi Arabia
* '' Albuca pendulina'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia
* '' Albuca pentheri'' (Zahlbr.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Cape Province
* '' Albuca polyodontula'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia
* '' Albuca polyphylla'' Baker – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca prasina'' (Ker Gawl.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – S. Africa
* '' Albuca prolifera'' J.H.Wilson – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca psammophora'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca pseudobifolia'' Mart.-Azorín & M.B.Crespo – Eastern Cape Province
* '' Albuca pulchra'' (Schinz) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Angola to Botswana
* '' Albuca rautanenii'' (Schinz) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia
* ''
Albuca recurva
''Albuca'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae. The genus is distributed mainly in southern and eastern Africa, with some species occurring in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Plants of the g ...
Albuca shawii
''Albuca shawii'' is a species of bulbous plant from southern Africa. It flowers in the summer and has yellow flowers on stems to about 30 cm high.
Description
''Albuca shawii'' is a summer-growing and winter-dormant bulbous plant, floweri ...
'' Baker – S. Africa
* '' Albuca somersetianum'' – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca spiralis'' L.f. – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca stapffii'' (Schinz) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia
* '' Albuca steudneri'' Schweinf. & Engl. – E. Sudan
* '' Albuca strigosula'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia
* '' Albuca stuetzeliana'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia to N.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca suaveolens'' (Jacq.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia to Cape Province
* '' Albuca subglandulosa'' (U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca subspicata'' Baker – Angola
* '' Albuca sudanica'' A.Chev. – W. Tropical Africa to Sahara and W. Sudan
* '' Albuca tenuifolia'' Baker – S. Cape Province
* '' Albuca tenuis'' Knudtzon – Central Ethiopia to Kenya
* '' Albuca thermarum'' van Jaarsv. – Cape Province
* '' Albuca tortuosa'' Baker – E. Cape Province
* '' Albuca toxicaria'' (C.Archer & R.H.Archer) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia to Cape Province
* '' Albuca trachyphylla'' U.Müll.-Doblies – N.W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca tubiformis'' (Oberm.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia
* '' Albuca unifolia'' (Retz.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Namibia to Free State
* '' Albuca unifoliata'' G.D.Rowley – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca variegata'' De Wild. – Zaïre
* '' Albuca villosa'' U.Müll.-Doblies – S.W. Namibia to W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca virens'' (Lindl.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Eritrea to S. Africa
* '' Albuca viscosa'' L.f. – Namibia to W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca vittata'' Ker Gawl. – Cape Province
* '' Albuca volubilis'' (H.Perrier) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – W. Madagascar
* '' Albuca watermeyeri'' (L.Bolus) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt – Cape Province
* '' Albuca weberlingiorum'' U.Müll.-Doblies – Cape Province
* '' Albuca xanthocodon'' Hilliard & B.L.Burtt – Mpumalanga to S.E. Cape Province
* '' Albuca yerburyi'' Ridl. – Yemen
* '' Albuca zebrina'' Baker – W. Cape Province
* '' Albuca zenkeri'' Engl. – Cameroon
Cultivation
The most popular species is ''Albuca nelsonii'', which is evergreen and not frost-hardy. Such species are best suited to temperate areas, but can be grown in a conservatory or greenhouse, or in a sheltered position if light frosts might occur. However, some other species from alpine or Karoo-like areas are fairly frost-resistant and may be deciduous, and accordingly can stand a good deal of frost once established. Some in fact are winter-flowering. As a rule they do well in full sun in light, free-draining soil. Propagate from offsets or seed.