Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: Geeltjienk, Yellow chincherinchee, Itsweletswele lasethafeni

Family: Asparagaceae (Asparagus)

Distribution: Bokkeveld Escarpment to Cape Peninsula and Eastern Cape

Habitat: Sandy or stony slopes

National red list: Least Concern

Life form: Geophyte (bulb, corm or tuber - seasonally dormant)

Comments: A very common Cape geophyte that is widespread in the Western Cape and occurs in parts of the Eastern and Northern Cape. Its showy orange flowers last for a long time and make good cut flowers, which has led to it being quite a popular plant in cultivation globally. It is one of the plants in the Cape Floral Kingdom that are pollinated by monkey beetles, a group of scarab beetles are very diverse in the Cape. Typically, radially symmetrical, bowl-shaped flowers with bright colours and conspicuous contrasting markings known as “beetle marks” are associated with pollination by monkey beetles, and all of these traits can be seen in Ornithogalum dubium. Other examples of Cape plants that are pollinated by monkey beetles and which share these traits are Tritonia crocata, Ixia dubia and Baeometra uniflora, which is commonly known as the beetle lily.