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Baboon-root

Babiana purpurea

Also called Ruens Renosterveld Bobbejaantjie

Baboon-root
Photo: Nick Helme, South Africa, CC BY-SA 4.0

Babiana purpurea is a small tuberous geophyte from the Iris family, endemic to the south-western Western Cape of South Africa. It grows in fynbos and renosterveld and is rarely grown outside its native range, so care advice is general to bulbous Babiana species.

Family
Iridaceae (Iris family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water moderately while in active growth in winter and spring, then keep dry once the foliage yellows in summer dormancy.
Soil
Free-draining sandy or gritty soil, with a sandy loam mix in pots.
Temperature
10–25 °C; tolerates light frost, protect below -3 °C
How easy
Moderate
Native range
SW. Cape Prov.
Climate
subtropical

About

Babiana purpurea is a perennial flowering plant and geophyte belonging to the genus Babiana. The species is endemic to the Western Cape and occurs from Botrivier to Bredasdorp and Robertson where it is part of the fynbos and renosterveld. The species has a range of less than 5000 km² and there are two subpopulations. The plant has lost 80% of its habitat to the establishment of vineyards and orchards over the past 60 years. One subpopulation is on commonage land in Caledon and the other is located on a road shoulder and is threatened by maintenance work and road construction.

Other Babiana plants

Baboon Root · Babiana angustifolia · Brandvlei Bobbejaantjie · Violet Scent Bobbejaantjie · Pakhuis Bobbejaantjie · Mini Rat Tail Bobbejaantjie · Nama Bobbejaantjie · Pink Bobejaantjie · Needleleaf Bobbejaantjie · Limestone Bobbejaantjie · Cederberg Bobbejaantjie · Cinnamon Bobbejaantjie

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Babiana purpurea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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