Cipura is a genus in the Iridaceae family, native to Central and South America growing in grassland and scrub.
Cipura paludosa grows in humid soils in the Pantanal in Brazil and Paraguay, photograph by Germán Roitman. It has a more extensive range than once thought, perhaps all the way to Colombia.
Dave Brastow encountered these plants, in mid-March, at the Explorer's Inn, in the Reserva Nacional Tambopata, Peru. This was definitely a jungle environment, with 30 °C temps and 98% humidity. The flowers are about 3 cm across, and open early in the morning, closing by mid-day. There were multiple flowers, opening in daily succession. The leaves were pleated. The bulb was about 2 cm long by 1 cm across, with a brown tunic and roots coming from a basal plate about 5 cm deep in a heavy clay soil.
Cipura xanthomelas Maxim. ex Klatt is a rare species from Brazil, a very narrow endemic to acidic, red, tropical soils. It is winter dormant and has a bulb that looks tarred. Photos from Andrew Harvie.
