Eucomis vandermerwei - Pineapple flower

Eucomis vandermerwei is a small and highly unique bulbous plant, with rosette foliage that has strongly undulated margins. It is green with brown spots. In early summer, it produces peculiar pineapple-shaped flowers that are tinted with chocolate-purple, topped with a tuft of dark leaves. It is not very hardy, but reliably flowers again. It is ideal for alpine rockeries or pot cultivation in a cold greenhouse. It requires well-drained soil, morning sun, and afternoon shade.

Native to northeastern South Africa, Eucomis vandermerwei grows at high altitudes in the mountainous region of the Drakensberg. It can be found growing on acidic and sandy soils, among the quartzitic stones of the south and east slopes.

This plant develops from an ovoid bulb, from which perennial fleshy roots emerge. From spring onwards, it forms a decorative rosette of 3 to 6 linear green leaves, with upper and lower surfaces speckled and marbled with deep brown. The margins of the leaves are slightly cartilaginous and strongly undulated. In late spring and early summer, light green stems marbled with the same dark tone emerge, carrying the inflorescence 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) above the ground. This inflorescence is a short raceme, densely filled with small brown flowers that have an unpleasant smell up close. It is crowned with a small head of dark bracts, forming a green tuft with brown speckles The flowers persist for a long time on the plant, and are likely pollinated by necrophagous flies. The flowers are followed by the formation of capsules containing ovoid, black, and shiny seeds. The plant goes into dormancy during winter, remaining in the soil in its bulb form.

Hardy down to -10°C (14°F), Eucomis vandermerwei thrives in morning sun or partial shade, in well-drained, rich, and moist soil. The bulb is particularly sensitive to excess water during winter, which is why it is preferable to cultivate it in an alpine rockery. If in doubt, it is best to overwinter the bulb in a dry and frost-free area, or to grow it in a pot. Plant eucomis in a rockery or in a border with good drainage, alongside kniphofias, crocosmias, and Gladiolus callianthus.

This is the only eucomis plant with foliage speckled with dark spots. Some believe that this is an adaptation to the presence of herbivores that might mistake the plant for its surroundings, allowing it to be spared from intensive grazing.