Rhodohypoxis baurii var. platypetala

Rhodohypoxis baurii var. platypetala is a cormous perennial reaching about 15 cm in height. The narrow, outcurving leaves are grass-like, growing from the base. The channelled leaves taper to acutely pointed tips. The glossy green blades have a sparse covering of long hairs.

Each flower has a short corolla tube and two concentric whorls of three spreading tepals. Usually white, there are also pink flowers, here an inbetween shade leaning to white. The inner tepals are short and broad compared to those of the other varieties of the species. The variety name, platypetala, is derived from the Greek words platus meaning broad or flat and petalon meaning a thin plate, referring to the petal shape. Flowering happens in spring and summer.

The distribution of the variety is inland in the northeast of the Eastern Cape and mainly southwest in KwaZulu-Natal. The photo was taken near the Sani Pass.

The habitat is short, dry grassland at elevations up to 2100 m. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century (Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; https://pza.sanbi.org; http://redlist.sanbi.org).