Hypoxis parvula Baker (1878: 113)

Niemann, Hendrik J., Coetzer, Dewald J. & Glennon, Kelsey L., 2023, Hypoxis limicola and H. uniflorata (Hypoxidaceae) deserve species rank: multiple new lines of evidence, Phytotaxa 619 (1), pp. 63-85 : 79

Hypoxis parvula Baker (1878: 113)

Type:— SOUTH AFRICA. KwaZulu-Natal: Inexact locality, 1854, Sanderson s.n. (holotype K! [image]) .

Rhizome 4–8 mm in diam., mostly oblong, sometimes globose, with few contractile roots, crowned by leaves and few fine bristles, white inside. Leaves few, 3–5, wrapped at base in membranous, white or brown tunic, lanceolate, 15– 70(–90) × 5–10 mm, soft to membranous, smooth or upper surface covered with translucent pustules visible against light, veins 14–18, inconspicuous, all flush with surface; sparsely hairy throughout, mainly on lower surface; hairs bifurcate or stellate interspersed with simple hairs, white. Inflorescence 1(–3) per plant, corymbose; scapes as tall as or taller than leaves, weak, lax, 30–50 mm long, covered with soft, white hairs; bracts usually absent, if present usually only 1, subulate, 1–4 mm long, lightly hairy below. Flowers 1(2); pedicels, long, weak, 30–40 mm when flower open; tepals yellow or white adaxially, (7–) 8–10 mm long in open flowers. Stamens 3+3, with filaments filiform, yellow, short inner filaments (2.5–) 3.5 mm, long outer filaments (3.5–) 5 mm; anthers 1.25–1.50 mm long, sagittate, apex split. Ovary 1.0– 1.5 mm long; style filiform, 4.5–5.0 mm long; stigma minute, spherical, 0.50–0.75 mm in diam. Capsule turbinate or subglobose, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, opening by a circular slit, splitting longitudinally into 3 lobes. Seeds ovoid, 0.9–1.0 × 0.7–0.8 mm, black, dull; seed coat epidermal cells are isodiametric, 4–8-gonal with straight, channelled, anticlinal boundaries that are smooth and well defined; convex outer periclinal cell wall colliculate and/or columellate, micropapillate; micropapillae rarely overlap and shorter at top of convex projection, becoming longer across periclinal wall and again becoming shorter/ absent towards anticlinal boundaries. Flowering time: September–March(–May).