Pauridia ovata (L.f.) Snijman & Kocyan (2013: 29)

Snijman, Deirdre A., 2014, A taxonomic revision of the genus Pauridia (Hypoxidaceae) in southern Africa, Phytotaxa 182 (1), pp. 1-114 : 72-74

20. Pauridia ovata (L.f.) Snijman & Kocyan (2013: 29) . Fig. 32

Bas.:— Hypoxis ovata Linnaeus (1782: 197) ≡ Ianthe ovata (L.f.) Salisb. ex Williams (1901: 292) ≡ Spiloxene ovata (L.f.) Garside (1936: 268) . Type (lectotype designated by Snijman & Kocyan 2013: 29):— SOUTH AFRICA. [Western Cape], Thunberg s.n. (UPS-THUNB! No. 8260 [image])

Plants 3.7–25 cm tall. Corm somewhat globose, 12–23 mm diam., fibreless, encircled by roots. Cataphylls absent at flowering. Leaves 3–8, loosely sheathing up to ca. 40 mm from base, lower leaves often outspread, upper leaves suberect then arching outwards distally, uppermost leaf largely clasping scape and pedicel, elliptical to broadly or narrowly lanceolate, 27–100 × (5–) 8–20 mm, shallowly carinate, pale green, firm-textured, adaxial surface manyveined, minutely impresso-punctate with somewhat rectangular epidermal cells when dry, margin slightly raised, minutely papillate, apex acute. Inflorescence 1 in flower at a time, 1-flowered, exceeding leaves; scape often hidden amongst leaves, up to ca. 145 × 1 mm, slightly compressed in cross section, whitish to wine-red; bract 1, non-clasping, filiform, ca. 1.0 × 0.1 mm, colourless. Flower pedicellate, stellate, white, backed with yellow at base and wine-red elsewhere in outer whorl, contrasting colouring less marked in inner whorl, unscented; pedicel suberect, remaining so in fruit, 55–125 × ca. 1 mm, subterete, wine-red; tepals 6, elliptical-lanceolate, 6–17 mm long, outer 2–6 mm wide, minutely mucronate, inner 1.5–4.5 mm wide. Stamens 6, somewhat spreading, subequal, yellow; filaments inserted on ovary rim, 1.5–2.0 mm long, subequal to shorter than anthers; anthers narrowly triangular to oblong-linear, latrorse, 2.0–6.5 × 0.5 mm, basal lobes 0.2 mm long; pollen yellow. Ovary somewhat narrowly to broadly obconical, 4–9 × 2.0– 2.5 mm, 1-locular, green; style 0.5–1 mm long; stigma branches suberect, lanceolate, 2.5–4.0 × 1.0–2.0 mm, shorter than to almost equalling stamens, yellow, with prominent basal lobes, up to 1.5 mm long, spreading between filaments, densely papillose, often convolute. Capsule broadly obconical, 6–12 × 4–6 mm, dehiscence circumscissile. Seeds depressed ellipsoid, 0.35 × 0.30 mm; testa black, covered with ca. 15 widely spaced, longitudinal rows of low, rounded, hump-like projections, outlines of anticlinal walls not evident. Flowering period: July–September.

Distribution and habitat:— Pauridia ovata extends from the Hottentots Holland Mountains through the moderately undulating plains of the western Rüens, otherwise known as the Overberg, to an area just southeast of Heidelberg near the Krombek River, Western Cape ( Fig. 33A ). Populations of a few to as many as 250 plants are found in heavily transformed and fragmented patches of renosterveld, most often on south- to southeast-facing hill slopes and embankments, in seasonally moist loam or clay-rich soils. The plants are most easily seen in flower after fires, often in association with several other infrequently seen geophytes.

Diagnostic features:— Pauridia ovata is one of a small group of species identified by a globose corm, covered by tangled roots, a solitary flowered inflorescence, with just one filiform bract and a unilocular ovary. Like the broad-leaved, shade-loving forms of the most closely related species P. gracilipes found on sandstone rocks from the Cederberg to the mountains near Worcester, plants of P. ovata also have expanded leaves which are narrowed proximally to sheathe the scape. P. ovata is easily distinguished by its white flowers, attractively flushed with winered on the outside of the tepals, and by the more or less erect, uppermost leaf that clasps the scape and pedicel, often for more than half its length. P. gracilipes , in contrast, has yellow or orange flowers and the leaves are most commonly more or less equally spreading.

Additional specimens examined:— SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape: Sir Lowry’s Pass (QDS: 3418 BB), August 1919, Wordsworth sub NBG 189/17 ( BOL!) ; Kraalfontein [between Elgin and Highlands] (QDS: 3419 AA) , 3 September 1942, Compton 13476 ( NBG!) ; Kraalfontein between Elgin and Highlands (QDS: 3419 AA) , 3 September 1942, Leighton 177 ( BOL!) ; prope Caledon (QDS: 3419 AB) , 1889, H. Bolus 9918 ( BOL!) ; between Caledon and Warmbaths Hotel (QDS: 3419 AB) , 5 October 1928, Gillett 1104 ( NBG!) ; Caledon (QDS: 3419 AB) , July 1892, Guthrie 2524 ( NBG!) ; Caledon Wildflower Show (3419AB) , September 1933, Leighton s.n. ( BOL 62844!) ; Farm Roodenheuwel , Nof Babilonstoringberge (QDS: 3419 AC) , 4 September 2001, Snijman 1834 ( NBG!) ; Farm Perdekloof on Nslopes of Babilonstoringberge (QDS: 3419 AC) , 25 August 2006, Snijman 2047 ( NBG!) ; Paardekloof 475, Nfoothills of Babilonstoring Mtns (QDS: 3419 AC) , 17 August 2006, Turner 1537 ( NBG!) ; Caledon , 5 km Sof Riviersonderend on Mietjieskloof 191 (QDS: 3419 BB) , 31 July 2001, Helme 2058 ( NBG!) ; Verdwaalskloof , SE of Riviersondereind (QDS: 3419 BB) , 20 August 1984, Oliver 8571 ( NBG!, PRE!) ; between Caledon and Bredasdorp near turnoff to Sandy’s Glen (QDS: 3419 BC) , 29 August 1992, Bean 2781 ( BOL!) ; Farm Fairfield , Wof Napier (QDS: 3419 BC) , 18 August 1995, Goldblatt & Nännni 10252 ( NBG!) ; Farm Fairfield , ca. 17 km NW of Napier (QDS: 3419 BC) , 28 July 1994, Kemper IPC516 ( NBG!) ; Hangklip [Honingklip] (QDS: 3419 BC) , August 1949, Middelman s.n. ( BOL 24470!) ; Farm Springerskuil , between Caledon and Napier, (QDS: 3419 BC) , 21 August 1984, Snijman 822 ( NBG!) ; Hansieskloof , near Napier (QDS: 3419 BD) , 25 August 1994, Nänni 90 ( NBG!) ; Rietfontein , Stormsvlei (QDS: 3420 AA) , 23 September 1982, Bayer 3073 ( NBG!) ; Swellendam , Site 1, Malanskraal (QDS: 3420 BA) , 13 September 2004, Raimondo CR225 ( NBG!) ; 6.2 miles [10 km] Eby Sof Heidelberg (QDS: 3421 AA) , 12 August 1960, Acocks 21384 ( NBG!) . Inexact localities: in der imgebung von Caledon, September, Ecklon & Zeyher 4135 ( BOL!) .

Figures

FIGURE 32. Pauridia ovata. A, whole plant; B, leaf in transverse section; C, scape apex, bract and pedicel: D, outer stamen in dorsal view; E, two inner stamens in dorsal and lateral views on left and right respectively; F, style and stigma branches; G, ovary in transverse section; H, capsule; I, seed. Scale bar A = 20 mm; B = 3 mm; C–F = 2 mm; G = 3 mm; H = 0.35 mm. Drawn by Nicci Page- Cairns from Snijman 2047 (NBG!).

FIGURE 33. Distribution maps for A, Pauridia ovata from Western Cape; B, P. gracilipes subsp. gracilipes (dots) from Northern and Western Cape; P.gracilipes subsp. speciosa (triangles) from Northern Cape, South Africa.