Hippeastrum puniceum (Amaryllidaceae), a new naturalized species in the flora of Angola

Abstract

1 Corresponding author Hippeastrum puniceum (Lam.) Voss. (Amaryllidaceae) is a herbaceous species native to the Caribbean and to South America (Glen 2002). It is a bulbous perennial producing strap-shaped basal leaves and a scape (up to 1 m high) with a terminal umbel containing few flowers. The flowers are funnel-shaped, slightly zygomorphic, with six bright red tepals, turning greenish towards their base (Fig. 1). During a botanical excursion to the province of Malanje, Angola, we recorded the occurrence of several populations of wild-growing H. puniceum. The plant was observed in full blossom on October 13th, 2014, just at the beginning of the rainy season, when most vegetation was only beginning to resprout. Populations of H. puniceum were observed in five different uninhabited sites in the province of Malanje, along the 50 km long road from Lucala to Cacuso. The species grows at elevations from 800 to 1060 m a.s.l. on the North Angolan Plateau in tropical savanna climate (Peel et al. 2007). The plant appears in recently burned grass savanna, probably as a result of fire set for the purpose of hunting and clearing. We observed that the plant appears solitary or in small clusters not exceeding 0.5 m in diameter. Hippeastrum puniceum appears to be associated with Lippia sp. Living plant samples were collected and transplanted as reference in the Kilombo Botanical Garden in N’dalatando, Kwanza Norte, Angola, in the research station plot for cryptophytes. Hippeastrum puniceum is highly valued as an ornamental plant worldwide. In some countries it is cultivated for medicinal purposes (Hanelt 2001). Probably by escape from cultivation, the species