Eucomis humilis
Common name: Dwarf Pineapple flower; Beskeie Berglilie

This little Eucomis is usually found tucked up against big rocks or below cliffs. The leaves are large with wavy margins and have purple spots underneath.

When it flowers, in mid Summer, the inflorescence is carried on a sturdy stem speckled with purple too.  Even the flowers sometimes have purple spots, although are more usually greenish white, just tinged with mauve.

The word ‘eucomis’ means beautiful hair, which describes the rosette or tuft of leaf-like bracts which top the cylindrical inflorescence and, with the tightly packed star-like flowers, gives the plant it’s pineapple like appearance.  While Eucomis humilis is seldom taller than 40 cm, other members of the Eucomis family can reach up to 1,2m high making a spectacular display and ensuring they are much sought after in Europe as cut flowers. 

Deciduous and dormant in winter, they germinate easily from seed grown in Spring.  Look out for them flowering now in a wild place nearby.

Click on any of the links below to see another Dargle wildflower