| Scientific Name | Crinum bulbispermum (Burm.f.) Milne-Redh. & Schweick. | Higher Classification | Monocotyledons | Family | AMARYLLIDACEAE | Synonyms | Crinum longifolium Thunb. | Common Names | Lelutla (ss), Mototse (ss), Orange River Lily (e), Oranjerivierlelie (a), Umnduze (z), Vaal River Lily (e), Vaalrivierlelie (a), Vleilelie (a) |
National Status | Status and Criteria | Least Concern | Assessment Date | 2016/06/28 | Assessor(s) | V.L. Williams, D. Raimondo, N.R. Crouch, A.B. Cunningham, C.R. Scott-Shaw, M. Lötter, A.M. Ngwenya, V.J. Brueton & L. Mills | Justification | Localized declines in subpopulations have been observed for this species. It is a long-lived bulb and is regularly found in medicinal plant markets, harvesting is probably causing a continuing decline. However it is still common enough to obviate listing as NT. |
Distribution | Endemism | Not endemic to South Africa | Provincial distribution | Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West | Range | Northern Cape eastwards to Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. Also occurs in Lesotho. |
Habitat and Ecology | Major system | Freshwater | Major habitats | Grassland, Savanna | Description | Near rivers, streams, seasonal pans and in damp depressions. |
Threats | | Crinum spp. is threatened by harvesting for the medicinal plant trade. It is difficult to tell the species apart without flowering material, and the users and market traders do not distinguish between the species, hence they are all at risk of over-exploitation. The species most commonly found in the markets are Crinum bulbispermum, C. stuhlmannii, C. macowanii and C. moorei - the latter species being the most vulnerable due to its smaller distribution and possibly the most distinctive because of the neck that forms a false stem (Verdoorn 1973). Cunningham (1988) estimated that 122 bags of Crinum spp. (excluding C. bulbispermum) were sold between 54 traders in the Durban markets. Its vulnerability status was classed as 'indeterminate' i.e. it appears to be heavily exploited, but its vulnerability to harvesting is unknown and more data are required (Cunningham 1988). Williams (2007) recorded that the species occurred in 28% of muthi shops in Johannesburg in 1994, and was sold by 9% of the traders at the Faraday Street muthi market. The bulbs are usually very large (usually >10cm diameter) and very heavy, and are sold in moderate quantities throughout the market.
Of Crinum bulbispermum, there is not much known specifically about its prevalence in the market. It tends to occur in large colonies and a large proportion of the subpopulation would be harvested when found by muthi harvesters. Several people have noticed subpopulations being targeted e.g. around Suikerbosrand (L. Mills, pers. comm., 2008); near Winterton (C.R. Scott-Shaw, pers. comm., 2008) and in parts of Mpumalanga (M. Lötter, pers. comm., 2008). Mervyn Lotter has noted large populations in Mpumalanga and has recently said that there "may be a problem" within the province. It is, therefore, expected that some subpopulations in the Free State may be declining as well. It is recommended that this species be monitored over the next five years. |
Population | Population trend | Decreasing |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Crinum bulbispermum (Burm.f.) Milne-Redh. & Schweick. | Declining | Raimondo et al. (2009) | |
Bibliography | Cunningham, A.B. 1988. An investigation of the herbal medicine trade in Natal/KwaZulu. Investigational Report No. 29. Institute of Natural Resources, Pietermaritzburg.
Pooley, E. 2003. Mountain flowers: a field guide to the flora of the Drakensberg and Lesotho. Natal Flora Publications Trust, Durban.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Verdoorn, I.C. 1973. The genus Crinum in Southern Africa. Bothalia 11:27-52.
Williams, V.L. 2007. The design of a risk assessment model to determine the impact of the herbal medicine trade on the Witwatersrand on resources of indigenous plant species. Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
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Citation | | Williams, V.L., Raimondo, D., Crouch, N.R., Cunningham, A.B., Scott-Shaw, C.R., Lötter, M., Ngwenya, A.M., Brueton, V.J. & Mills, L. 2016. Crinum bulbispermum (Burm.f.) Milne-Redh. & Schweick. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/16 |
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 © J.E. Burrows  © J.E. Burrows
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