Ledebouria petiolata

Ledebouria petiolata J.C.Manning & Goldblatt

Accepted Scientific Name: Drimiopsis maculata Lindl. & Paxton

Origin and Habitat: Drimiopsis maculata is widespread in eastern South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga), Swaziland and Tanzania (Mpwapwa District: Kongwa ). Reported as cultivated in the Canary Islands.
Altitude range: 25-1340 metres above sea level.
Habitat and ecology: Semi-arid areas, valley grassland, in brown sandy clay; open places; forest floors, shaded stream banks, forest fringes, near the coast. It is also found in very sandy damp spot, not far from the beach. It did not seem to mind the salty lagoon water, where the large scaly bulbs congregate and bloom well

Synonyms:

• Drimiopsis maculata Lindl. & Paxton

Common Names include:

ENGLISH: Little White Soldier, Small Snake Lily, Spotted-leaved Drimiopsis, African False Hosta, African hosta, Leopard Plant
RUSSIAN (Русский): Дримиопсис Пятнистый, Ледебурия черешковая
XHOSA (isiXhosa): Intshwilisa
ZULU (isiZulu): Injobo; Ucibicibane

 

Description: Drimiopsis maculata is a robust bulbous plant from South Africa to 30(-35) cm tall that spreads rapidly and has beautiful spotted leaves (maculata means "spotted"). It is very close to Ledebouria, both in habit and flower. The bulb increases rapidly at the surface of the ground, the leaves dying down in winter much more completely than do those of Ledebouria. They have a much wider blade than do those of Ledebouria. Foliage are topped in spring with 30 cm tall spikes of tiny green and off-white bells, making quite a show when the clumps get large. It is related to Ornithogalum.
Habit: It is a little deciduous perennial-Geophyte plant with multiple bulblets emerging in spring to form clumps up to 30 (or more) cm wide. It is dormant in winter.
Bulbs: Globose, fleshy, mostly exposed at the surface of the ground, about 2.5 cm in diameter and have large visible scales that look like a lily.
Leaves: 3 to6. Blade thin, somewhat fleshy, triangular to cordate-ovate, 7.5-12 cm long and ± 4.5 cm wide, mid-green in colour, very heavily blotched with translucent dark green or dark purple-brown to almost black, and the colour tends to be enhanced (e.g. darker spots on the foliage) in a shady spot. The spots appear on the young new growth and only last through the spring and into the early summer when they disappear into the green of the leaves. Margins more or less undulate. Petiole deeply channelled, 2.5-15 cm long
Inflorescence: Much longer than the leaves, the flower stalk rises up to 30 cm above the foliage and bears a tight cluster of small flowers of much the same insignificant nature as those of Ledebouria. Peduncle 10-24 cm long. Raceme dense, 2.5-5 cm long.
Flowers: Perfect, small, inconspicuous, hyacinth-like, bright white in buds that open and turn a pale green (also grey-green, yellowish or cream). Pedicels shorter than 1 mm long. Perianth 4 mm long; outer segments oblong up to 5 mm. Long. Inner segments ovate or shortly ligulate and narrower than the outer; upper flowers smaller, whitish. Stamens nearly as long as the segments. Anthers ovoid, white, 1mm long. Honey bees love them.
Blooming season: Spring (late April through May in Europe).
Chromosome number: 2n = 64.

Ledebouria petiolata (llifle.com)