Giant Pineapple Lily (Eucomis pallidiflora)
Description
Eucomis pallidiflora (giant pineapple lily) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to southern Africa (South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland). Some forms reach almost 2 m (6 ft 7 in) when in flower. The species is cultivated as an ornamental plant, although it is not hardy in areas where severe frosts occur. Eucomis pallidiflora is a perennial growing from a large bulb with a diameter of up to 8 cm (3 1⁄4 in). It has a basal rosette of strap-shaped leaves, about 50–60 cm (20–24 in) long and 10–20 cm (4–8 in) wide, with minutely serrated margins. The inflorescence, produced in late summer (August in the UK), is a dense raceme, reaching an overall height of 50–180 cm (1 ft 8 in–5 ft 11 in), almost 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in some forms. The individual flowers have white, greenish yellow or green tepals and a green ovary. The inflorescence is topped by a head (coma) of up to 30 bracts, sometimes quite small. The plant lacks the purple coloration found other large species of Eucomis, such as Eucomis comosa.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Asparagales
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Family: Asparagaceae
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Genus: Eucomis
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