Haemanthus avasmontanus
Haemanthus avasmontanus Dinter is a South African bulbous geophyte in the genus Haemanthus. It is known from the type specimens only, which were collected by Kurt Dinter on 12 February 1923 from a single locality in the Auasberge near Tigerfontein on steep, south-facing, mica schist ledges, south-east of Windhoek in central Namibia. (Snijman, 1984). Despite thorough searches by a number of field botanists, no plants have been found since.
Haemanthus avasmontanus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
Subfamily: | Amaryllidoideae |
Genus: | Haemanthus |
Species: | H. avasmontanus |
Binomial name | |
Haemanthus avasmontanus | |
Distribution of H. avasmontanus in Namibia |
This species produces two erect, strap-shaped leaves annually, 350–400 x 40–45 mm, smooth and soft-textured. The flowerstalk is 250–350 mm long, with a brush-like flowerhead 45 mm in diameter; the acutely tipped spathe segments or valves are about as long as the flowers. Flowers 15–20, pure white; pedicels 7–10 mm long (Snijman, 1984).
References
- The Genus Haemanthus: A Revision - Deidré Snijman (National Botanic Gardens of South Africa 1984) ISBN 0-620-07339-X