Eucomis bicolor | |
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Scientific classification
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Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Asparagaceae |
Subfamily: | Scilloideae |
Genus: | Eucomis |
Species: | E. bicolor
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Binomial name | |
Eucomis bicolor |
Eucomis bicolor, the variegated pineapple lily or just pineapple lily, [2] is a bulbous species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to Southern Africa (the Cape Provinces, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, and the Northern Provinces). [1] The pale green, purple-margined flowers are arranged in a spike ( raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts. It is cultivated as an ornamental bulbous plant, although its flowers have an unpleasant smell, attractive to the main pollinators, flies.
Eucomis bicolor is a perennial growing from a large bulb. It reaches 30–60 cm (12–24 in) in height, with a basal rosette of wavy leaves 30–50 cm (12–20 in) long. In late summer (August in the UK), it produces a stout stem ( peduncule), often with purple markings. The inflorescence is a raceme of pale green, purple margined flowers with tepals up to 15 mm (1⁄2 in) long, borne on pedicels 2 cm (3⁄4 in) long. The inflorescence is terminated by a head (coma) of pale green leafy bracts, sometimes tinged with purple. At close quarters the flowers have a strongly unpleasant smell. The ovary is green. [3] [4] [5]
The homoisoflavanones eucomin, eucomol, [6] (E)-7-O-methyl-eucomin, (—)-7-O-methyleucomol, (+)-3,9-dihydro-eucomin and 7-O-methyl-3,9-dihydro-eucomin [7] can be isolated from bulbs of E. bicolor.
Eucomis bicolor was first described by John Gilbert Baker in 1878. [1] The specific epithet bicolor means "two-coloured"; [8] the tepals are pale green with purple margins. [3] It is one of a group of larger tetraploid species of Eucomis, with 2n = 4x = 60. [9]
Eucomis bicolor is native to Southern Africa (the Cape Provinces, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, and the Northern Provinces). [1] Along the Drakensberg escarpment it is found in damp grassland, often near streams, up to elevations of 2,500 m (8,200 ft). [3]
Eucomis bicolor is primarily pollinated by flies, including blowflies, house flies and flesh flies, attracted by the sulphur compounds in the scent of the flowers. [10]
In cultivation, Eucomis bicolor is not fully frost-hardy. In the US, it is classed as hardy in USDA zones 8–10, and requires a winter mulch in colder areas (zones 6–7). [2] In the UK, it is said to be hardy down to −10 °C (14 °F), if kept dry in winter. Sun exposure and plentiful water are required in summer for successful flowering. [3] It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [11]
The cultivar E. bicolor 'Alba' has plain white flowers and lacks any purple coloration. It resembles Eucomis autumnalis but can be distinguished by the long flower stalks ( pedicels). [3]