Distribution and habitat

Endemic to the Western Cape, South Africa, occurring in the southwestern parts, from Piketberg to the Cape Peninsula and eastwards to the Agulhas plain and to Montagu. A common autumn flowering species in this region. Grows in a wide range of soil types from sand to clay.

Life cycle

A geophyte, with a corm measuring 18-35 mm in diameter.

Flowers from March to April, sometimes also in February. The leave of the flowering stem do not have blades, being short and sheathed against the stem.

A bladed leaf grows from a separate shoot during the wet winter and it is this leaf that functions best for photosynthesis.

Ecological interactions

Pollinators

The pollinators feed on the nectar of the flowers and include:

Bees - Amegilla fallax, Amegilla spilostoma, Allodape sp.

flies

Acroceridae - Psilodera valida

Meaning of name

brevifolius is Latin for "short leaves", and refers to the size of the leaves on the flowering stem.

IZIKO - Biodiversity Explorer