HYACYNTHACEAE

Drimiopsis stolonissima

Lebowa African Hyacinth

Wildflowers

Local Context

Recorded in the shady undergrowth along the northern ramp of Jack's Causeway. Identified by SANBI botanist Andrew Hankey, who described the species in 2025. The species often grows in leaf litter and semi-shade. Until proven otherwise, this seems to be an endemic to Limpopo and northern Mpumalanga.

Identification

Growth: Medium-sized bulbous plant (50–100 mm tall) that forms dense colonies using robust, white underground runners (stolons) measuring up to 100 mm long. The bulbs are hypogeal (underground), white, egg-shaped to sword-shaped, and 20–30 mm wide.
Flowers: Small, bell-shaped flowers (4.0–4.5 mm long) densely arranged in a cluster of 16 to 30. The outer petals are green with whitish margins and a brownish-green stripe, while the inner petals are yellowish-green with a darker greenish-brown stripe.
Leaves: Typically 2 to 3 spreading, broad lance-shaped leaves per bulb, measuring 40–120 mm long and 20–35 mm wide. They are thinly textured and pale green, featuring darker green spots on the upper surface and a paler green to lightly pinkish, mostly unspotted lower surface.
Texture: The leaves are thinly textured, lack a crenulate (wavy/scalloped) margin, and are completely smooth without any hairs or raised papillate ridges.
Fruit: A small, green, roundish capsule (2.5 mm by 4 mm) with 1 to 3 lobes. It contains drop-shaped, dark brown to blackish seeds that are glossy and densely wrinkled.

Did You Know?

For years, this plant was grouped under the broader umbrella of Drimiopsis burkei, but in a 2025 paper, botanists Andrew Hankey and Antonio De Castro officially elevated it to its own distinct species, Drimiopsis stolonissima, with the scientific name highlighting its habit of forming dense colonies through underground runners known as stolons. You can tell this newly minted species apart from the original D. burkei by its thinner, paler green leaves featuring dark spots on top and pinkish mottling underneath, compared to the thicker leaves with deep red or burgundy undersides found on D. burkei. Excitingly, Andrew Hankey himself has been actively verifying sightings of this specific plant right here in the central Lowveld on iNaturalist, including our specimen from Raptor's View.

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