Eriospermum kiboense Krause   

DESCRIPTION: Plants 16-55 cm., flowering before the leaves. Tuber pyriform to irregular, up to 5 cm. long, 3.5 cm. wide; skin fawn, tough and smooth; flesh white. Old leaf-sheaths up to 9 cm. long. Leaf solitary, suberect; sheath exserted up to 6 cm., ± 3 mm. diameter, terete, reddish purple; blade broadly elliptic to lanceolate, up to 14 cm. long, 9 cm. wide, bright green above, paler beneath, coriaceous, margins entire. Peduncle 14-45 cm. long, 2-3 mm. diameter, red tinged towards the base, glaucous green above; peduncular bract exserted 4-7 cm., lower part sheathing, becoming leaf-like, broadly ovate, up to 4 cm. long, 3 cm. wide, acute; raceme 3-16 cm. long, up to 3 cm. wide, cylindrical to narrowly conical, with 10-50 flowers; bracts subovate, acuminate, somewhat saccate, ± 1 mm. long, membranous, colourless; pedicels up to 1.3 cm. long. Flowers 3-10 mm. across, rotate. Tepals 3-6 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, equal to subequal, white to very pale green with a darker green to brown midnerve. Filaments subequal, oblong, erect, 2.5-3 mm. long; anthers small, green. Ovary ovoid to globose, bright green, 1-2 mm. long, 1-2 mm. wide; style cylindrical, ± 1.5 mm. long, white. Fruit up to 9 mm. long, 9 mm. wide. Seeds 2-3 mm. long, hairs up to 7 mm

DISTRIBUTION: Zimbabwe , Tanzania, Malawi