Merwilla plumbea

{{Speciesbox

| image = Merwilla plumbea00.jpg

| image2 = Merwilla plumbea subsp. plumbea 1DS-II 9334.jpg

| status = NT

| status_system = SANBI

| taxon = Merwilla plumbea

| authority = (Lindl.) Speta

}}

Merwilla plumbea, also known as the blue squill, is a threatened bulb-forming perennial herb in the small genus Merwilla endemic to the Drakensberg.{{WCSP |281170 |Merwilla plumbea |mode=cs2 |accessdate=2020-03-20 }}{{Cite web |title=Threatened Species Programme {{!}} SANBI Red List of South African Plants |url=http://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=7485-2 |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=redlist.sanbi.org}}

Distribution

Merwilla plumbea is found in the eastern part of South Africa, in Eswatini and Lesotho.

Habitat

Merwilla plumbea is found on rocky, well-drained slopes at altitudes between 300-2500 metres.

Ecology

Mature individuals are thought to live, on average, for 25 years.

Conservation status

Merwilla plumbea has been assessed as near threatened due to a 25% decline in the local population from intensive poaching of the bulbs in the wild. In 2006, 1 851 580 bulbs in the Warwick Muti Market and 235 872 bulbs were sold in the Faraday Muti Market.

Taxonomy

File:Curtis's botanical magazine (8271550655).jpg

Two subspecies are recognised:{{citation |title=Search for Merwilla plumbea|work=World Checklist of Selected Plant Families |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |url=http://wcsp.science.kew.org/qsearch.do?page=quickSearch&plantName=Merwilla%20plumbea |accessdate=2020-03-20 }}

Merwilla plumbea subsp. kraussii (Baker) J.C.Manning, syn. Scilla kraussii
Merwilla plumbea subsp. plumbea, syn. Scilla natalensis

Image:Scilla natalensis 2.jpg

References

[https://web.archive.org/web/20090301033109/http://plantzafrica.com/frames/plantsfram.htm PlantZAfrica]

Category:Scilloideae