Hypoxis obtusa

Botanical Description

Hypoxis obtusa is an erect to straggling, herbaceous perennial plant producing a cluster of 5 - 15, grass-like leaves from a corm-like fuber; it can grow around 16 - 50cm tall[ 308 Title Flora Zambesiaca Publication Author Website http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is often harvested on a large scale for medicinal use, being marketed under the name 'African Potato', a name more accurately applied to the species Hypoxis hemerocallidea[ 1929 Title African Potato (Hypoxis Spp): Diversity and Comparison of the Phytochemical Profiles and Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Publication Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science 4 (04); 2014: 079-083 Author Zimudzi C. Website http://10.7324/JAPS.2014.40414 Publisher Year 2014 ISBN 2231-3354 Description ]. A very floriferous species, with potential for use as an ornamental[ 295 Title PlantZAfrica.com Publication Author Website http://www.plantzafrica.com Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants. ]. Hypoxis obtusa has a disjointed distribution, and there is regular gathering for herbarium collections. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].