Pineapple Lily (Eucomis vandermerwei)
Description
Eucomis vandermerwei is a South African bulbous perennial flowering plant, a member of the Asparagus family (Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae), and like other members of Eucomis is commonly known as pineapple lily for its resemblance to that plant (Ananas comosus)—though not closely related to it. This species is one of the smallest in the genus—some 100 mm tall—and is native to the high-rainfall Steenkampsberg, 60 km north of Belfast in Mpumalanga. The dense rosette of leaves, either prostrate or ascending, is heavily blotched with purple, and leaf-edges are markedly crisped or wavy. The attractive star-shaped burgundy flowers appear in midsummer (November–January). The species was first collected in 1937 by the amateur botanist Dr Frederick Ziervogel van der Merwe in western Mpumalanga. It was described by Dr Inez Verdoorn in 1944. It is remarkably tolerant of low temperatures and may be propagated from seed or leaf cuttings, by division of the large tunicated bulb or from offsets. It grows naturally in the shelter of grassland rocks, though predation by plant collectors has placed it on the endangered list. In temperate areas such as the UK, E. vandermerwei requires a sheltered position in full sun, in a spot where temperatures do not fall below −5 °C (23 °F), for instance in southern and south-western coastal parts. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit
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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