PLANT OF THE MONTH – NOVEMBER 2024: Drimia fugax
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Scientific name: Drimia fugax (Moris) Stearn
Synonyms: Scilla fugax, Urginea fugax, Anthericum fugax
Drimia fugax is a perennial bulbous plant from the Asparagaceae family, which, as its name suggests, has a very brief presence throughout the year. It remains hidden for most of the time, with the bulb buried and no visible leaves. It only emerges during flowering, which in the Balearic Islands occurs in September and lasts until the end of November, when it disperses its seeds and disappears again underground. This species is adapted to extreme Mediterranean conditions, resisting periods of intense drought thanks to its underground bulb, which serves as a water reserve.
In the past, this species was traditionally considered a good omen by Mediterranean shepherds and farmers, as its appearance was seen as a sign of good harvests for the following year. The flowers of D. fugax appear in loose racemes, cream-pink in color with purple veins, and they fruit in a trigonous capsule containing 4 to 5 black seeds, compressed within each locule. These seeds, with intense coloration and a compressed shape, are adapted for wind dispersal, a mechanism known as anemochory. According to the book “FRUITS AND SEEDS OF THE BALEARIC FLORA. DISPERSAL.” Authors Gradaille and Bonet note that the seeds have plananemochory capabilities, probably due to adaptations such as flat or slightly aerodynamic structures that allow the wind to displace them more efficiently. This mechanism could be particularly relevant in Mediterranean habitats, where wind plays a significant role in seed dispersal, helping to colonize open spaces among the low vegetation characteristic of our scrublands and clearings in the scrub.
Currently, Drimia fugax is considered a vulnerable (VU) species according to the “Llibre vermell de la flora vascular de les illes balears” (Red Book of Vascular Flora of the Balearic Islands) and the Red List of Vascular Flora of Spain, although it does not yet have specific legal protection. In the Balearic Islands, the species is found only in Ibiza, and its populations are highly fragmented. This fragmentation, along with its restricted reproduction and dispersal, increases the plant’s vulnerability to habitat loss and other anthropogenic impacts. Seeds from three Ibiza populations collected between 1993 and 2014 are stored in the germplasm bank, and the resulting plants from viability tests of seeds germinated in 1993 are conserved in the living plant collection.
Family: Asparagaceae
Distribution: Ibiza, Corsica, Sardinia, and the coasts of Italy, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Syria.
IUCN Category: LC (Least Concern)
Phenology: Flowers in September, at the end of summer, and fruits in November.
Habitat: Clearings of dry garrigue, meadows, and slopes with shallow soil.
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