Albuca kirkii (Baker) Brenan

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Cleveland Dam, Harare

Photo: Mark Hyde
Near Great Enclosure, Great Zimbabwe

Photo: Bart Wursten
Cleveland Dam, Harare

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Synonyms:	Albuca nyikensis Baker
Common names:	Snake lily (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Slender to robust bulbous perennial with the stem usually erect, sometimes decumbent. Leaves filiform to lanceolate, usually hairless, occasionally hairy, often greyish-green. Inflorescence a more or less lax raceme with few-many flowers; pedicels erect or ascending, more than 1.5 cm long; bracts lanceolate to ovate. Flowers one-sided, facing upwards, in decumbent specimens, sometimes appearing before the leaves, white to greenish yellow with a broad green dorsal band on perianth segments. Capsule ovoid.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	kirkii: named after Dr John Kirk, who accompanied David Livingstone on his Zambezi expedition of 1858
Habitat:	Grassland and woodland.
Altitude range:	1200 - 1800 m
Flowering time:	Aug - Oct
Worldwide distribution:	Angola, DRC, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Malawi distribution:	N,C,S
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Baumann, G. (2005). Photographic Guide to Wildflowers of Malawi Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi Pages 196 - 197. As Albuca nyikensis but note that the image and the description are both in error and refer to a species of Ornithogalumou (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 307. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 4. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 126. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 91. Also as A. nyikensis Moriarty, A. (1975). Wild Flowers of Malawi Purnell & sons Cape Town. Pages 0 - 21. As Albuca nyikensis (Includes a picture). Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 114. Stedje, B. (1996). Hyacinthaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa Pages 21 - 22. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 108. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 81.

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Flora of Botswana: Albuca kirkii
Flora of Mozambique: Albuca kirkii
Flora of Zambia: Albuca kirkii
Flora of Zimbabwe: Albuca kirkii

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Albuca kirkii
African Plant Database: Albuca kirkii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Albuca kirkii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Albuca kirkii
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iNaturalist: Albuca kirkii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Albuca kirkii
JSTOR Plant Science: Albuca kirkii
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Albuca kirkii
Plants of the World Online: Albuca kirkii
Tropicos: Albuca kirkii
Wikipedia: Albuca kirkii