Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Family: Asparagaceae (Asparagus)

Distribution: Western Cape, endemic to Vredenberg

Habitat: Seasonally moist margins of Cape Inland Salt Pans in Saldanha Granite Strandveld.

National red list: Endangered

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

Comments: A very localised species with a global extent of less than 1 square kilometre, with the two small remaining fragments threatened by ongoing habitat loss and degradation. It was first discovered in 1923 close to Vredenburg, but after a few decades the plant suddenly went missing and wasn’t seen again for nearly 40 years. After its rediscovery in 1982, it was visited regularly by Kirstenbosch senior horticulturist Graham Duncan, who noted that the plant became more and more scarce at the site in the early 1990s. Members of CREW (Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers) went looking for these Lachenalias in 2006, but couldn’t find a trace of them. Then, finally, in September 2006 two new sites were discovered by CREW members. It became clear at this site that overgrazing is severely detrimental to this species. Despite the hardships it faces, this species is a hardy plant and grows very easily.