Eriospermum folioliferum Ker-Gawl.. Bot. Re g. t. 795 (1824). non Andrews, Bot. Rep. t.521 (1808).
E.fasciculatum A. V. Duthie, Ann. Univ. Stellenb. 2(A3): 12 (1924); Ann. Bolus Herb. 9: 29 (1925). Type: South Africa, Cape Province, Stellenbosch Flats. Duthie 1356 (PRE, STE).
E. setiferum V. Poelln., Feddes Repert. 52: 123 (1943). Type: South Africa, Cape Province, Caledon, Schlechter 7595 (K).
Plants with hysteranthous leaves, solitary or clump-forming, inflorescence up to 300 mm high.
Tuber simple or with proliferating stolons, pyriform to irregular, up to 30 mm long and 15 mm wide; skin thin, light brown, interior pale to deeper pink: growing point basal to lateral; stolons one to several per tuber, 3 mm wide and up to 60 mm long with roots at intervals.
Old leaf sheaths up to 90 mm long, membranous, becoming fibrous at ground level.
Leaf solitary, erect; contemporary leaf sheath exserted up to 25 mm, reddish, sparsely or densely pubescent; lamina held horizontally, ovate-cordate, up to 60 mm long and 35 mm wide, adaxial surface frequently covered with few to numerous unbranched, terete enations, up to 60 mm long and 2 mm wide; lamina then reduced in size to about 5 mm long and wide; lamina and enations almost glabrous or well covered with short straight or curly hairs; the enations considerably variable in number, length and thickness.
Peduncular bract barely exserted, ovate attenuate, apex retrorse, white, membranous, pinkish-red.
Peduncle up to 220 mm long and 1 mm diameter, green with red streaking especially at the base.
Raceme lax, up to 90 mm long, 35 mm wide, with up to 26 flowers.
Bracts triangular attenuate, 1.0-1.5 mm long, membranous, white with a thin brown midnerve.
Pedicels 25 mm long, pale green, arcuate, with flowers facing upwards.
Flowers campanulate, becoming spreading with a triangular outline when fully open, 12 mm diameter.
Tepals dimorphic, white with a dark green midnerve, overlaid with red streaking; outer tepals spreading, elliptic attenuate, apex recurved, 5 mm long and 2 mm wide, inner erect, broadly spathulate, with a crisped connivent apex. 5 mm long and 3 mm wide.
Filaments dimorphic, white, outer 1.3 mm long and wide, inner adnate 1 mm up the tepals, 1 mm long and 0.8 mm wide.
Ovary globose, 1.5 mm long and wide, green.
Style cylindrical, 1.5-2.0 mm long, white.
Flowering time: February to March.
Leafing period: April to October.
Distribution and habitat: E.proliferum has a wide distribution in the winter rainfall area of the Cape. It appears to be concentrated in the south west corner of the Province but that may be due to higher collecting activity as much as to actual distribution. It is usually found in rocky, shady places on well-drained clayey or sandy soils amongst Karoo or Fynbos vegetation (Figure 103).
Diagnostic features: This is a distinctive species in the leafing stage when plants are fully developed. The hairines of the leaf sheath and the long, thin hairy enations are unlike those in any other species. The rather few-flowered, dainty inflorescence helps to separate E.proliferum from similar species with dimorphic tepals (Figure 104).
Reference: Pauline L. Perry, A REVISION OF THE GENUS ERIOSPERMUM (Eriospermaceae)
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