Namophila

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Asparagales

Familia: Asparagaceae
Subfamilia: Scilloideae
Genus: Namophila
Species: N. urotepala
Name

Namophila U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies, Feddes Repert. 108: 77 (1997)
References

Müller-Doblies, U. & Müller-Doblies, D. (1997) Feddes Repertorium. Zeitschrift für Botanische Taxonomie und Geobotanik. Berlin 108: 77.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2015. Namophila in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2015 Sept. 27. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2015. Namophila. Published online. Accessed: Sept. 27 2015.
Tropicos.org 2015. Namophila. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 27 Sept. 2015.

Namophila is a monotypic genus of bulbous flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae (also treated as the family Hyacinthaceae).[1] The sole species Namophila urotepala is found only in Namibia.[2]
Description

Namophila urotepala grows from an underground bulb, which has a dark brown papery tunic. The bulb produces only two somewhat succulent leaves which spread out on the ground on either side. The flowers are produced in a several-flowered raceme borne on a very short stem so that the inflorescence is at ground level. At the top of the inflorescence is a tuft of bracts. Individual flowers are more-or-less upright, bell-shaped with fused greenish-white tepals which end in a thin "tail". The stamens are also more-or-less upright, with their filaments joined to the mouth of the tubular part of the tepals. The fruiting capsule remains enclosed in the tepals. The black seeds are somewhat globular.[3]

N. urotepala is found only in the mountains of southern Namibia, in arid areas with winter rainfall.[3]
Systematics

The genus and species were named by Ute Müller-Doblies and Dietrich Müller-Doblies in 1997.[2] Placed in the tribe Hyacintheae (or subfamily Hyacinthoideae by those who use the family Hyacinthaceae), Namophila is most closely related to Lachenalia.[3]
References

Stevens, P.F. (2001 onwards), "Asparagales: Scilloideae", Angiosperm Phylogeny Website, retrieved 2014-02-25
"Namophila", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2013-04-08
Manning, J.C.; Goldblatt, P.; Fay, M.F. (2004), "A revised generic synopsis of Hyacintheaceae in sub-Saharan Africa, based on molecular evidence, including new combinations and the new tribe Pseudoprospereae", Edinburgh Journal of Botany, 60 (3): 533–568, doi:10.1017/S0960428603000404