Eucomis autumnalis

Eucomis autumnalis, the autumn pineapple flower, or autumn pineapple lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to Malawi, Zimbabwe and southern Africa. It is a mid to late summer flowering deciduous bulbous perennial. The flower stem reaches about 40 cm (16 in), rising from a basal rosette of wavy-edged leaves. The green, yellow or white flowers are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a 'head' of green leaflike bracts. It is grown as an ornamental garden plant and can also be used as a cut flower. Eucomis autumnalis is a perennial growing from a large bulb with a diameter of up to 8–10 cm (3 1⁄4–4 in). Like other Eucomis species, it has a basal rosette of strap-shaped leaves. These are up to 55 cm (22 in) long and 6–13 cm (2 1⁄2–5 in) wide, with a wavy margin. The sweetly scented inflorescence, produced in late summer, is a dense raceme, reaching an overall height of 30–45 cm (1 ft 0 in–1 ft 6 in). The individual flowers have green, yellow-green or white tepals and are borne on short stalks (pedicels) 2–10 mm (1⁄8–3⁄8 in) long. The filaments of the stamens are joined at the base to form a slightly cup-shaped structure. The inflorescence is topped by a head (coma) of green bracts, up to 65 mm (2 1⁄2 in) long. The plant has no purple coloration. The structure of the seed capsule distinguishes the two subspecies: E. autumnalis subsp. autumnalis has a thin-walled and often somewhat inflated capsule; E. autumnalis subsp. clavata has a capsule with a hard double-layered wall (pericarp). It also has a somewhat club-shaped (clavate) scape, narrowing towards the base. Eucomis autumnalis was first described by Philip Miller in 1768, as Fritillaria autumnalis. It was formally transferred to Eucomis by Frederick James Chittenden in 1951. The specific epithet autumnalis refers to its flowering and fruiting time, and distinguishes it from Eucomis regia which flowers in early spring. (In 1768, these were the only two known species of what later became the genus Eucomis.) It is one of a group of larger tetraploid species of Eucomis, with 2n = 4x = 60. Eucomis undulata (the epithet referring to the strongly wavy-edged leaves) is a name sometimes used, but is now regarded as a synonym of E. autumnalis subsp. clavata. As of October 2018, the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families recognizes two subspecies: An earlier recognized subspecies, E. autumnalis subsp. amaryllidifolia, is now accepted as a separate species, Eucomis amaryllidifolia. Eucomis autumnalis is found from Malawi to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. E. autumnalis subsp. autumnalis has been recorded from Malawi, Zimbabwe, and, in South Africa, from the Northern Provinces, the Free State and the Cape Provinces. E. autumnalis subsp. clavata has a more central distribution, being found in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Northern Provinces. E. autumnalis subsp. clavata tends to be found at high altitudes. On the Drakensberg escarpment, it grows in grassland at 3,000 m (9,800 ft) where it is subject to cold winters and exposure.