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Geissorhiza splendidissima

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Blue pride-of-Nieuwoudtville
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Geissorhiza
Species:
G. splendidissima
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

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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

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Geissorhiza splendidissima is found in damp areas of stony clay flats in Renosterveld vegetation on the Kouebokkeveld Mountains around Nieuwoudtville.

Conservation status

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b c "Threatened Species Programme | SANBI Red List of South African Plants". redlist.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  2. ^ "Splendid Satin (Geissorhiza splendidissima)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Geissorhiza splendidissima | PlantZAfrica". pza.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
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