Tulbaghia acutiloba
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| Tulbaghia acutiloba | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Amaryllidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Allioideae |
| Genus: | Tulbaghia |
| Species: | T. acutiloba |
| Binomial name | |
| Tulbaghia acutiloba | |
 | |
| Distribution of T. acutiloba in South Africa | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Omentaria acutiloba Kuntze (Harv.) | |
Tulbaghia acutiloba, one of many plants named wild garlic, is a species of plant in the Allioideae subfamily of the Amaryllidaceae family. First described by William Henry Harvey in 1854, it is found in the countries of Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa.
Tulbaghia acutiloba is one of 22 members of the genus Tulbaghia found in tropical and southern Africa.[2] The plant is a clump-forming, bulbous perennial that ranges from 15–45 centimetres (5.9–17.7 in) in height.[3][2] The leaves are narrow and grass-like, they are 50–450 millimetres (2.0–17.7 in) in length, and 3–8 millimetres (0.12–0.31 in) in width.[2] The rhizome of the plant can grow to 3 centimetres (1.2 in) in diameter.[3] When the plant is touched, a garlicky scent is emanated.[2]
The flowers are small, trumpet-shaped, around 8 by 4 millimetres (0.31 in × 0.16 in) in size, and green, white, and orange-brown in colour.[3][2] Khaki colored flowers are surrounded by green, recurved tepals, and a fleshy orange to reddish-brown ring, with an umbel of around 2 to 6 flowers.[2] The flowers are sweet in scent, and the scent is particularly noticeable during the evening. The plant flowers throughout the year, mainly between the months of August to November, which is late winter to early summer in Southern Africa.[2] The plant can flower multiple times in a single season.[2]
Range
Tulbaghia acutiloba is found in the countries of Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, and the eastern portions of South Africa.[3] In South Africa, it is found in the provinces of Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West.[2] In Botswana, it is found in the southeastern portion of the country.[4]
Habitat
The preferred habitat of Tulbaghia acutiloba is dry, rocky, grasslands of an elevation up to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft).[2]
Human interactions
The leaves of the plant are edible,[2] and young plants are eaten as food.[5] In the provinces of Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, it is used as a culinary herb. Traditionally, T. acutiloba was used to treat various illnesses, including infectious diseases and hypertension.[6]
Conservation
In an assessment of South African plants in 2009 by Raimondo et al., Tulbaghia acutiloba was ranked as "Least Concern".[7]