Ledebouria narrow leaves

These Ledebouria leaf rosettes, the leaves long, thin, ascending and purple-spotted, were seen growing in sparse grassland in Pretoria. Unfortunately no flowers were present when the photo was taken in January.

Fairly easy to decide it is Ledebouria, picking the right species is a taller order. In some cases digging up the bulbs will contribute in the identification, but also constitutes destruction that should be avoided. So for now, the guess is Ledebouria revoluta, but who knows?

Leaf tips don’t end as abruptly as L. cooperi leaves do. About half a dozen species grow on the Witwatersrand that isn’t far away (Lowrey and Wright, 1987).