Boophone is a small genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae.[1]) It consists of two confirmed species distributed across South Africa to Kenya and Uganda. It is closely related to Crossyne, a genus whose species have prostrate leaves.[2] They are drought tolerant but not cold-hardy, and are very poisonous to livestock.
Boophone is the single genus in subtribe Boophoninae, in the Amaryllideae tribe.
Boophoninae are placed within Amaryllideae as follows, based on their phylogenetic relationship:
The list of Boophone species, with their complete scientific name, authority, and geographic distribution is given below.[3]
| Flowers | Plant | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boophone disticha (L.f.) [4] | From Sudan to South Africa | ||
| Boophone haemanthoides Leight.[5] | |||
William Herbert wrote the name of this genus with three different orthographies: "Boophane" in 1821; "Buphane" and "Buphone" in 1825. This final spelling was corrected to "Boophone" in 1839 by Milne-Redhead. The name was derived from the Greek bous (an ox) and phone (death), due to its toxic nature to cattle. A proposal was published in 2001 to conserve the name "Boophone" and to take the earlier ones as synonyms.[6] This proposal was accepted in 2002.[7]
Larvae of the moth genera Brithys and Diaphone use Boophone as a food plant.
Boophone disticha is used in South African traditional medicine by the Zulu people to induce hallucinations for divinatory purposes, and also for various mental illnesses.[8] Its use, however, is limited by injuries that result from the plant's toxicity.[9] They have also been used as ingredients in traditional arrow poisons, and medicinal dressings for skin lesions.[10]
A variety of alkaloids with affinity for the serotonin transporter have been isolated from Boophone disticha.[11] [12]