I had an email conversation with John Manning when I was trying to figure out some unidentified wurmbeas we had seen on a trip to South Africa and I ended up getting very confused about Wurmbea spicata, especially when he said that the photo in the Color Encyclopedia was probably wrong and > True W. spicata is supposed not to have those blotches at all. So many photos I had seen identified as this species have blotches. Onixotis has been included in Wurmbea, but the key in the Color Encyclopedia for Wurmbea does not include it. Botanists can probably help me out here, but the description of the nectary for the original Wurmbea was a pouch like nectary at the base of the free part of the tepal and for Onixotis "a more or less narrowly pouch-like nectary above each of two conspicuous lobes curved upward above the claw". If I understand this description and look at the photos on the Wiki, the nectary is often further down the tepal than in the photos of the mystery plant. Could this plant be Wurmbea punctata (formerly Onixotis?). The location fits the description for where it is distributed. If we could see the whole plant it would really help. This species has white to maroon flowers that are sessile on a short spike with three lanceolate leaves and the uppermost set about halfway up the stem. Here's an Ispot link that was identified as likely to be that species with one agreement: http://ispotnature.org/node/662007/… Mary Sue > Bruce Bayer says 'Here is a picture of a Wurmbea that grows here at > Fisherhaven, South Africa (a bit of a threatened bulb paradise). The > id I get is W. stricta but I am rather doubtful while another id has > been W spicata!' Can anyone identify this plant? > Link: > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/… >