About Geissorhiza splendidissima Diels
Flower Characteristics
Geissorhiza splendidissima Diels has glossy dark blue flowers with dark red-brown pollen.
Corm Tunic Trait
It bears imbricate corm tunics, a feature typical of species in subgenus Geissorhiza.
Unusual Species Traits
Several of its traits are unusual: zygomorphic flowers with unilateral, declinate stamens, dark red-brown pollen, and a somewhat ribbed sheath on its uppermost leaf.
Related Species Shared Trait
This ribbed sheath character is shared with the apparently closely related G. arenicola, a trait that sets these two species somewhat apart within their section.
Habitat and Distribution
Geissorhiza splendidissima grows in damp areas of stony clay flats in Renosterveld vegetation on the Kouebokkeveld Mountains around Nieuwoudtville.
Herbivory
In its ecology, the Namaqua rock rat and the Cape porcupine eat G. splendidissima.
Colony Formation
Ripened seeds fall from the plant, which leads to the formation of colonies of this species.
