Liliaceae: unknown ornamental

[John Nelson]

Mon 20 jan 355p

Friends:

    We have had a curious ornamental memnner of the Liliaceae sent in
for identification; I need some help with it. If anybody has an idea
about this plant, please let me know. Description follows:

    Succulent, scapose herb with equitant, unspotted leaves, these
smooth, fleshy, without "troughs" or prominent midribs, and without
any teeth towards the apex, and vaguely flattened-triangular in
transection, to about 16 cm long, 8 mm wide; inflorescence a
single bracteate raceme, the scape 4.5 dm tall and arising laterally
on the plant (i.e. not so much "terminal"), the single raceme terminal
on last 12 cm or so of the scape; bracts chartaceous, whitish,
deciduous, the flowers spreading in anthesis; perianth segments 6,
equal, bright yellow, with central greenish midvein; stamens 6, the
filaments bright yellow, each equipped about 2/3 of the way up with a
prominent tuft of bright yellow hairs; ovary superior; fruit not
seen.

    Thanks for any ideas. John Nelson








John B. Nelson
Curator of the Herbarium (USCH)
Department of Biological Sciences
University of South Carolina
Columbia SC 29208

nelson at biol.sc.edu
803-777-8196 phone
803-777-4002 fax