Ledebouria revoluta

English: Drimia acuminata; Drimia brevifolia; Hyacinthus revolutus; Scilla lanceifolia.
Source: Pacific Bulb Society.
Music: Billy Idol, Rebell; New wave.BotanyLedebouria is a genus of deciduous or weakly evergreen bulbs in the Hyacinthaceae family. The genus is now regarded as distinct from Scilla which is a genus of the Northern Hemisphere. There are sixty plus species in sub-Saharan Africa, with one or two species each in India and Madagascar. It is found mostly in areas of summer rainfall (there are a few winter rainfall species) in subtropical savanna’s and grasslands in the eastern and North eastern parts of southern Africa. The greatest species diversity occurs in the eastern and central parts of the Limpopo Province and Mpumalanga. Species have 1 to 20 leaves that are partly or fully developed at flowering and are erect, spreading or depressed, sometimes spirally twisted, linear to suborbicular, fleshy or leathery, smooth to hairy, green to purple with or without darker green or purple markings.
Ledebouria species are from a few cm to about 30 cm tall, usually having interesting or decorative leaves which can make appealing pot subjects, especially the dwarf species. Their flowers are arranged on a floppy spike mostly appearing in early spring before the grass is up. The individual flowers are not large or showy, but when examined closely they are exquisite with various colourings of mauve, purple and pink (sometimes almost luminous) on the stamens and pedicels. They usually like to grow amongst rocks or in grass field. They go dormant in the dry winters, and can tolerate a degree or two of frost. In the montane grassland species, they would get a bit of winter moisture from mist or the occasional light shower or snowfall.
The seeds of most of the summer rainfall species are usually ripe by early summer and ready to germinate immediately with no fuss. I have found a clone or single plants do not set seed. They seem to need cross-pollination to produce seeds.
Ledebouria revoluta is distributed on stony slopes from Swellendam north to eastern southern Africa and to India. Because of the broad geographic range, this species is extremely variable in leaf morphology and warrants further studies. Typically, it grows to 15 cm with spreading fleshy glossy lanceolate mostly evergreen leaves that are spotted with red and margins often crisped. Both fresh leaves and bulbs have threads when torn. The purple and green flowers with recurved tepals are in broad racemes (more than 30 flowers) with stamens longer than the style. The ovaries are 6-lobed. Leaves are present at flowering.
(Fresh leaves and bulbs have threads when torn, this could confirm Stage 6 quality tough, sticky, chewy,like the name revoluta also Stage 6 or 12).