Ledebouria sp
The snowfalls last week did not deter this tiny Ledebouria from flowering in recently burnt grassland. 15 species are found in the summer rainfall areas of South Africa with a variety of spotted, textured, striped and coloured leaves in different sizes. The small flowers are usually pink or purplish, although some species have green flowers. Often, Ledebouria is one of the first plants to flower in spring, and continues through summer. The bulb is eaten by porcupines and in some species the leaves are grazed too.
Due to habitat loss caused by agriculture, forestry and urban sprawl, many Ledebouria species are endangered or rare. Pollination is thought to be by social bees and seed dispersal is principally by water - seed is washed away from where it was released by the mother plant to germinate nearby.
In traditional medicine, Ledebouria has many uses, including the treatment of diarrhoea, influenza, backache, skin irritations, wounds, lumbago and to ease pregnancy. Watch where you step on Springtime walks, there are bound to be some Ledebouria underfoot.
Click on any of the links below to see another Dargle wildflower
Spring (September - November)
- Acalypha penduncularis
- Bauhinia natalensis
- Brunsvigia radulosa
- Carissa bispinosa
- Crinum bulbispermum
- Dais cotonifolia
- Eriosema distinctum
- Graderia scabra
- Hemizygia teucriifolia
- Hypoxis hemerocallidea
- Jasminum multipartatum
- Merwilla plumbea
- Morea huttonii
- Scadoxus puniceus
- Stophanthus speciosus
- Thunbergia natalensis
- Tritonia lineata
- Ursinia tenuiloba
- Veronia hirsuta
Summer (December - February)
- Asclepias albens
- Brunsvigia natalensis
- Brunsvigia undulata
- Crassula alba
- Dissotis canescens
- Eucomis humilis
- Gomphocarpus physocarpus
- Gunnera perpensa
- Helichrysum ecklonis
- Heliophila rifidiuscula
- Hesperantha coccinea
- Hibiscus aethiopicus
- Hypericum aethiopicum
- Papaver aculeatum
- Pentanisia prunelloides
- Polygala virgata
- Pterygodium magnum
- Ranunculus multifidus
- Saundersonia aurantiaca
- Sopubia cana
- Wahlenbergia sp.
- Zaluzianskya natalensis
- Zantedeschia aethiopica
Autumn (March - May)
- Alectra sessiliflora
- Athrixia phylicoides
- Clematis brachiata
- Coccinea palmata
- Crocosmia aurea
- Desmodium repandum
- Disperis fanninae
- Gnidea splendens
- Halleria lucida
- Kniphofia laxiflora
- Monopsis stellaroides
- Mushrooms
- Nerine pancratioides
- Pachycarpus grandiflorus
- Pavonia columella
- Plectranthus sp.
- Rabdosiella calycina
- Rubus ludwigii
- Satyrium macrophyllum
- Senecio tamoides
- Sutera floribunda
- Zornia capensis
Winter (June - August)
- Aloe arborescens
- Aloe maculata
- Buddleja salvifolia
- Crassula ovata
- Disperis woodii
- Dombeya rotundifolia
- Helichrysum adenocarpum
- Ledeboria sp.
- Leonotis leonorus
- Leucosidea sericea
- Moraea hiernalis
- Phymaspermum acerosum
- Podocarpus sp.
- Prunus africanus
- Senecio polyanthemoides
- Senecio speciosus
- Solanum giganteum
- Striga bilabiata
- Tulbaghia violaceae
- Zanthoxylum capense