Eucomis montana

Eucomis montana is a plant species in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, found in South Africa and Eswatini. When in flower in summer, the plant reaches a height of up to, with a dense spike of greenish flowers, topped by a "head" of green bracts.

Description

Eucomis montana is a perennial growing from a large ovoid bulb with a diameter of up to. Like other Eucomis species, it has a basal rosette of strap-shaped leaves. These are about long and wide, with smooth margins and purple spots or speckles underneath. The inflorescence, produced in late summer, is a dense raceme. The plant reaches an overall height of around. The individual flowers have greenish tepals and stamens with purple filaments, and are borne on short stalks long. The inflorescence is topped by a head of green bracts, up to long.
The homoisoflavanone 5,6-dimethoxy-7-hydroxy-3--4-chromanone can be found in the bulbs of E. montana.

Taxonomy

Eucomis montana was first described by Robert Harold Compton in 1967, after he retired to Eswatini where it was first found. The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains. It is one of a group of larger, tetraploid species with 2n = 4x = 60 chromosomes.

Distribution and habitat

Eucomis montana was initially discovered in Eswatini, where it grew in colonies on damp grassland slopes at elevations of. It has since also been found in South Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Provinces. It grows at elevations of up to.

Cultivation

, it was said to be very rare in cultivation, but should prove to be "at least frost-hardy".