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Massonia aurea (Lindl.) Don
Hort. Brit. [Sweet], ed. 3. 699 (1839).
Family: HYACINTHACEAE

Accepted Scientific Name: Daubenya aurea Lindl.
Edwards's Bot. Reg. 21: t. 1813 (1836).

Massonia aurea (Daubenya aurea) Photo by: © Plantemania
(Hyacinthaceae) It is a rare, winter-growing bulb. Its extraordinary flowers appear in spring and are instantly recognisable due to each of the outer flowers having one of its petals enlarged. It is thought that this arrangement gives the inflorescence the overall appearance of being the ray florets of a daisy - and this attracts the monkey beetles that pollinate them. The flowers are either bright red or bright yellow, the two colours occurring in separate colonies.

Synonyms:

See all synonyms of Daubenya aurea
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Accepted name in llifle Database:
Daubenya aurea Lindl.
Edwards's Bot. Reg. 21: t. 1813 (1836).
Synonymy: 6
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Common Names include:
ENGLISH: Jewels of the desert

Subspecies, varieties, forms and cultivars of plants belonging to the Daubenya aurea group

  • Daubenya aurea Lindl.: Produces a cluster of nearly sessile yellow, orange or red flowers between the two leaves. Outer flowers are irregular with three spoon-shaped segments. Distribution: Roggeveld Mountains, between Sutherland and Middelpos, N Cape, South Africa.
  • Daubenya aurea var. coccinea (Harv. ex Baker) Marloth: same as the type but with bright red flowers. Distribution: Roggeveld Mountains, between Sutherland and Middelpos, N Cape, South Africa.

28816 plantemania © Plantemania
Daubenya aurea. Flowers are yellow in the typical form but red or orange in var. coccinea. (Daubenya aurea) Photo by: © Plantemania
28815 plantemania © Plantemania
Massonia aurea (Daubenya aurea) Photo by: © Plantemania

28814 plantemania © Plantemania
Massonia aurea (Daubenya aurea) Photo by: © Plantemania
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