Apodolirion

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title: "Apodolirion" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["amaryllidoideae", "amaryllidaceae-genera", "taxa-named-by-john-gilbert-baker", "plants-described-in-1878", "flora-of-southern-africa"] description: "Genus of flowering plants" topic_path: "general/amaryllidoideae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apodolirion" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of flowering plants ::

|taxon = Apodolirion |image= Apodolirion buchananii 58060038.jpg |image_caption = Apodolirion buchanii |authority = Baker |subdivision_ranks = Species |subdivision = See here |type_species = Apodolirion buchananii |range_map = South Africa in the world (W3).svg |range_map_caption = It is endemic to Southern Africa

Apodolirion is a genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae). It consists of 6 species native to Southern Africa.

Description

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Apodolirion_buchanii.jpg" caption="Illustration of ''Apodolirion buchanii''"] ::

Vegetative characteristics

Apodolirion are bulbous plants with tunicate bulbs.

Generative characteristics

The fragrant, ephemeral, tubular, delicate, solitary, sessile flower has a perianth of six tepals. The androecium consists of 6 stamens. The gynoecium consists of 3 carpels. The stigma is tri-lobed. The long, cylindrical, fragrant fruit bears many small, hard seeds.

Cytology

The basic chromosome number is x = 6.

Taxonomy

It was published by John Gilbert Baker in 1878. The lectotype species Apodolirion buchananii was designated in 1951. It is placed in the tribe Haemantheae. Apodolirion and Gethyllis may represent a single genus.

Etymology

The generic name Apodolirion means "stemless flower".

Species

It has six species:

• Apodolirion amyanum
• Apodolirion bolusii
• Apodolirion buchananii
• Apodolirion cedarbergense
• Apodolirion lanceolatum
• Apodolirion macowanii

Ecology

Habitat

It occurs in the summer rainfall regions of South Africa.

Pollination

The flowers are pollinated by bees.

Seed dispersal

The seeds are dispersed by ants.

Conservation

Apodolirion amyanum is classified as Endangered (EN) according to the Red List of South African plants.

Uses

A. buchananii (known as "Natal Crocus") is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is a small plant with solitary flowers, that bloom in spring.

References

References

1. Missouri Botanical Garden. (n.d.-b). ''Apodolirion'' Baker. Tropicos. Retrieved February 11, 2025, from https://www.tropicos.org/name/40017815
2. Stevens, P.F.. "Angiosperm Phylogeny Website: Asparagales: Amaryllidoideae".
3. ''Apodolirion''. (n.d.). Pacific Bulb Society. Retrieved February 11, 2025, from https://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/apodolirion
4. Iziko Museums of South Africa. (n.d.). ''Apodolirion''. Biodiversity Explorer. Retrieved February 11, 2025, from https://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/plants/amaryllidaceae/apodolirion.htm
5. Meerow, A. W., & Clayton, J. R. (2004). Generic relationships among the baccate-fruited Amaryllidaceae (tribe Haemantheae) inferred from plastid and nuclear non-coding DNA sequences. Plant Systematics and Evolution, 244(3/4), 141–155. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23645270
6. (1878). "On two new genera of Amaryllidaceae from Cape Colony". [[Journal of Botany, British and Foreign]].
7. USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomygenus?id=857. Accessed 11 February 2025.
8. Conrad, F. E. R. O. Z. A. H., Reeves, G. A. I. L., Snijman, D. A., & Hedderson, T. A. (2006). [https://aetfat.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/17thAETFAT_2003_Proceedings.pdf#page=87 Genetic relationships within the tribe Haemantheae (Amaryllidaceae) based on plastd DNA sequence data.] Taxonomy and ecology of African plants, their conservation and sustainable use, 73-83.
9. South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). (n.d.-a). ''Apodolirion amyanum''. PlantZAfrica. Retrieved February 11, 2025, from https://pza.sanbi.org/apodolirion-amyanum
10. ''Apodolirion'' Baker. (n.d.). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved February 11, 2025, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1342-1
11. Kiepiel, I., & Johnson, S. D. (2024). [https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ajb2.16421 Scent‐mediated bee pollination and myrmecochory in an enigmatic geophyte with pyrogenic flowering and subterranean development of fleshy fruits.] American Journal of Botany, 111(11), e16421.

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