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(Last Modified On 10/15/2016)
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Description
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Plants mostly 150–500 mm high. Corm subglobose or depressed-globose, 10–20 mm diam., tunics somewhat papery, of fine-textured fibres, extending in a papery or fibrous neck, with clusters of cormlets at base on short, fasciated stolons. Stem ± erect below, simple or with up to 2 branches. Leaves 7–12, dry at flowering, linear, suberect or trailing, slightly twisted, ± as long or slightly longer than stem, (10–)20–60 × 1–2 mm, soft-textured, main vein moderately thickened. Spike inclined, ± 2-ranked, (2–)4–8-flowered; bracts soft-textured, papery of membranous, translucent or straw lightly flushed or speckled brownish distally, outer 8–12 mm long, acute or minutely 3-toothed, inner bracts slightly shorter, bifid. Flowers zygomorphic, white with purple veins on reverse, lower 3 tepals with narrow, median, yellowish green longitudinal mark at base, unscented; perianth tube cylindric, 35–45 mm long, straight but curved outward and widening in upper 5–7 mm to 5–8 mm diam.; tepals unequal, uppermost largest, dorsal and lower median tepals suberect, other tepals spreading in distal half, dorsal tepal ovate-elliptic, 18–20 × 10–12 mm, remaining tepals oblong, 18–20 × 5–7 mm, lower 3 tepals with low, median, ridge-like callus. Filaments arcuate and unilateral, 13–16 mm long; anthers 5–6 mm long, apiculate, purple; pollen purple. Style dividing opposite middle to apex of anthers, branches ± 2 mm long. Flowering time: early to mid-December.
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South African Province
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Eastern Cape, Western Cape
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Distribution and ecology
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centred in the Kouga and Baviaanskloof Mtns in Eastern Cape but also recorded from the northern foothills of the Fouriesberg at the western end of the Outeniqua Mtns in Western Cape; on cooler south-facing sandstone lower slopes in arid and grassy fynbos, with the corms wedged among rocks.
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Diagnosis
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recognized by the linear, grass-like leaves as long as the flowering stem or longer, 1–2 mm wide and dry at flowering, and inclined spikes of white, long-tubed, zygomorphic flowers with low, greenish yellow, ridge-like calluses on the lower tepals. The corms bear short, fasciated stolons and many small cormlets. The species flowers in summer, in December, at which time the leaves are dry and withered. The flowers are almost indistinguishable from those of Tritonia pallida and the two may comprise a vicariant species pair. That species, centred in the western and central Little Karoo, has lanceolate leaves mostly 8–15 mm wide and about half as long as the flowering stem, and occurs on shale slopes, primarily in renosterveld or transitional vegetation types, flowering from mid-September to late October.
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General Notes
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the long, linear leaves of Tritonia linearifolia may lead to confusion with the partially sympatric T. bakeri, a long-tubed species widespread through the Little Karoo from Ladismith to the Long Kloof, but the leaves of T. bakeri are highly characteristic, fleshy and semi-terete in section when fresh, without main vein or margins. Flowering is also somewhat earlier, mainly October to November, at which time the foliage is still green. The two species are florally very different, although this is best seen when alive. T. linearifolia has zygomorphic flowers with arcuate stamens whereas the perianth in T. bakeri is almost actinomorphic and salver-shaped, with the flowers inverted, curved or slightly twisted at the base, so that the dorsal tepal is lowermost and the stamens almost central with the anthers facing upwards.
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