Ledebouriopsis (Baker) J. C. Manning & Goldblatt, 2018

Manning, John, 2022, New combinations in Drimia Jacq. ex Wild. (Hyacinthaceae: Urgineoideae) and an updated key to the southern African species, Bothalia (a 2) 52 (1), pp. 1-7 : 5

Sect. Ledebouriopsis

1a. Floral bracts 1.5–7.0 mm long: 2a. Plants evergreen with leaves synanthous; leaf blades concave above, the margins narrowly hyaline and smooth; bulb scales never fibrous, dark red below ground......................... 9. D. delagoensis 2b. Plants deciduous with leaves hysteranthous or emergent at flowering; leaf blades canaliculate, the margins slightly thickened and papillate; bulb scales ± fibrous, white to pink: 3a. Bulbs with a conspicuous collar of stiff, apical fibres.............................. 7. D. multisetosa 3b. Bulbs with at most a weak collar of fine, pale fibres............................. 6. D. echinostachya

1b. Floral bracts mostly up to 1 mm long: 4a. Raceme 1- to 3-flowered; plants from southern Namibia............................ 13. D. occultans 4b. Raceme> 3-flowered; plants from South Africa: 5a. Raceme congested, ellipsoid to subglobose with flowers mostly 0.5–2.0 mm apart: 6a. Scape longitudinally colliculate-scabridulous basally; perianth cup puberulous within; plants from Richtersveld............................................................ 16. D. barbata 6b. Scape glabrous; perianth cup glabrous within; plants from extreme southwestern Western Cape: 7a. Leaf terete or clavate, 1–2 mm diam........................................... 15. D. salteri 7b. Leaf lorate-oblong, 10–16 mm wide....................................... 15.1. D. densiflora 5b. Raceme elongate, laxly cylindrical with flowers mostly more than 3 mm apart, rarely 1-flowered: 8a. Leaf solitary and stiffly erect, (2–) 3–5 mm diam., sheathing base with wide, chestnut brown, papery margins; bulb often with a thick papery collar................................... 8. D. anomala 8b. Leaves 1 to 5, either solitary and erect but then less than 2 mm diam., or flexuous to drooping, sheathing bases with pale-papery margins, not forming a thick papery collar: 9a. Capsules ellipsoid to fusiform (rarely ovoid), usually more than twice as long as wide, 2–3 mm diam.; plants from southwestern South Africa........................................ 14. D. dregei 9b. Capsules ovoid, up to twice as long as wide, 3–4 mm diam.; plants from southern and eastern South Africa: 10a. Filaments retrorsely scabrid-papillate: 11a. Bulb scales loose, subglobose; cataphylls not barred...................... 11.1. D. globuligera 11b. Bulb scales cohering, flattened; cataphyll transversely barred with thickened ribs.... 11.2. D. zebrinella 10b. Filaments smooth: 12a. Bulb scales loose and stalked; scape puberulous basally...................... 10. D. edwardsii 12b. Bulbs scales usually tightly packed, rarely loose and subglobose but not stalked; scape glabrous throughout or minutely puberulous basally: 13a. Bulbs elongated and proliferous, forming clumps; leaves 2 or 3 per bulb........ 11.3. D. prolifera 13b. Bulbs subglobose, not proliferating; leaf mostly solitary: 14a. Racemes 40- to 90-flowered; pedicels 17–25 mm long: 15a. Bulbs epigeal, keeled; leaves up to 500 mm long.........................12. D. flagellaris 15b. Bulbs hypogeal, smoothly rounded; leaves up to 200 mm long........ 11.4. D. longipedicellata 14b. Racemes 3- to 30(40)-flowered; pedicels 2–10 mm long: 16a. Flowers white, tepals 4–6 mm long; filaments 2–4 mm long................. 11. D. calcarata 16b. Flowers buff to brown, tepals 3.3–4.2 mm long; filaments 1.4–1.9 mm long... 11.5. D. brachyandra