Eucomis autumnalis
| Eucomis autumnalis | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Scilloideae |
| Genus: | Eucomis |
| Species: | E. autumnalis |
| Binomial name | |
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Eucomis autumnalis (Mill.) Chitt. |
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| Subspecies | |
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See text |
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See text
Eucomis autumnalis, the autumn pineapple flower, or autumn pineapple lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to South Africa. It is a summer flowering deciduous bulbous perennial. The flower stem to 40 cm (16 in) rises from a basal rosette of broad waxy leaves. The stalk (produced from mid to late summer) is tipped with a raceme of up to 125 flowers.
The bulb of Eucomis autumnalis is up to 10 cm (4 in) across. The plant (including the inflorescence) can grow up to 60 cm (24 in) tall. The single inflorescence is a cylindrical raceme atop a stout stem, carrying more than 100 flowers, greenish-white in colour. The raceme is tipped with a tuft of leaf-like bracts, looking somewhat like the leaves on a pineapple top (the reason for the common name for this genus). When the flowers have been fertilised, the flowers turn green, making the inflorescence decorative while the trilocular (three-chambered) fruit ripens to produce shiny black round seeds.
The specific epithet autumnalis refers to its flowering and fruiting time. Different botanists have given a variety of names to this species, often because a variant (subspecies) was treated as a separate species.
As of April 2014[update], the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognizes two subspecies:
An earlier recognized subspecies, E. autumnalis subsp. amaryllidifolia, is now accepted as a separate species, Eucomis amaryllidifolia.
Eucomis autumnalis makes a good horticultural specimen. Plant them in groups in the herbaceous border, in large pots, or in rockeries. The flowers last well, in the garden as well as the vase, and after flowering, the ripening fruit on the inflorescence are also decorative. Easy to grow, these bulbs should be planted with their tops at ground level. They prefer a position of full sun (though they will tolerate partial shade), and prefer a rich and well composted soil. Adding well-rotted compost every spring and lots of water during the growing season will result in better flowering in the coming seasons. These plants are winter dormant, and frost hardy to Zone 9 (−7 °C / 20 °F).
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Wikipedia