Bird's tongue

Appearance

Perennial herb, up to c. 70 cm tall, growing from a ovoid-oblong corm, up to 30 cm below the surface. Leaves up to 12, usually 4-7, erect, spreading or recurved, linear-lanceolate, 10 - 30 cm long, blue-green, waxy. Inflorescence 5 - 30 cm long, up to c. 25-flowered. Flowers purplish-brown, to dark purple-red, rarely yellow; base of the filaments green, upper part and anthers brown. Pedicels and tepals spreading at first, later reflexed. Ovary green, 3-lobed, c. 2 × 2 cm enlarging soon. Capsule globose, 15 × 10 mm, bluntly 3-lobed at the apex.

Naming

Synonyms:
Ornithoglossum glaucum sensu auct. non Salisb.
Ornithoglossum viride auct. non (L.f.) Aiton
Common names:
Bird's tongue (English) Chitupaguru (Shona)

Distribution

Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa

Habitat

Occurring in miombo woodland, occasionally in mopane or other woodland, mostly on sandy soils.
Altitude range: 450 - 1400 m