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Eucomis autumnalis
Also called Pineapple Flower
Eucomis autumnalis is a bulbous perennial from southern Africa, grown for its late-summer spike of green or white pineapple-like flowers. Give it full sun or part shade, fertile well-drained soil, and water well during growth, keeping it dry while dormant in winter.
Eucomis autumnalis, the autumn pineapple flower, or autumn pineapple lily, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, native to Malawi, Zimbabwe and southern Africa. It is a mid to late summer flowering deciduous bulbous perennial. The flower stem reaches about 40 cm (16 in), rising from a basal rosette of wavy-edged leaves. The green, yellow or white flowers are arranged in a spike (raceme), topped by a "head" of green leaflike bracts. It is grown as an ornamental garden plant and can also be used as a cut flower.
Eucomis autumnalis is grown as an ornamental plant. The flowers and later the fruiting stems remain decorative for many weeks, and can be used as cut flowers. E. autumnalis survives frosts down to about −7 °C (19 °F), particularly if planted in a sheltered position in well-drained soil, kept as dry as possible during the winter dormancy. It grows and flowers best planted in full sun or partial shade in a fertile soil, and kept well watered during the summer period of growth and flowering.
A cultivar is available under the name "E. autumnalis 'White Dwarf'". However, as of 2018, the RHS Plant Finder regards this as a cultivar of E. zambesiaca rather than E. autumnalis.
Various homoisoflavonoids have been isolated from this plant.
Eucomis autumnalis is found from Malawi to the Cape Provinces of South Africa. E. autumnalis subsp. autumnalis has been recorded from Malawi, Zimbabwe, and, in South Africa, from the Northern Provinces, the Free State and the Cape Provinces. E. autumnalis subsp. clavata has a more central distribution, being found in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Northern Provinces.
Pied Pineapple Lily · Crown Pineapple Lily · Giant Pineapple Lily · Crinkle Leaf Pineapple Lily
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Eucomis autumnalis 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.
