Geissorhiza aspera

Goldblatt
J. South African Bot. 36: 303 (1970)
Taxonomic status Accepted
Occurrence status Present
Origin Introduced
Degree of establishment Naturalised

Corm ovoid-globose, 3­–6 mm diam. Stem usually 1–3-branched, densely puberulent. Leaves usually 3, lower 2 basal, the uppermost sub-basal and sheathing the stem, 8–20 cm long, 2–7 mm wide, flat, linear to ensiform, erect to spreading. Inflorescence 1–7-flowered. Primary bracts herbaceous basally, dry and brown above, the basal ‘outer’ bract 6–12 mm long, apex entire, the distal ‘inner’ bract 6–8 mm long, apex bifid. Flowers actinomorphic, blue to purple. Perianth tube 1–2 mm long; lobes oblong to obovate, 11–15 mm long, 4–6 mm wide. Stamens symmetric, filaments 3–5 mm long, sometimes with one shorter filament, anthers 3.0–5.5 mm long. Style 7–8 mm long, branches to 2 mm long. Flowers Spring.

VVP, Gold. Native to the Western Cape region of South Africa, occurs on grassy roadsides and disturbed sites.

Created by: Andre Messina, 27 Oct. 2014
Updated by: Daniel Ohlsen, 16 Jun. 2017
Geissorhiza aspera (hero image) Spinning
Geissorhiza aspera (distribution map) Spinning