Very interesting Roberto. Could it be a very slender form of aethiopica?

Michael
Interlaken NY Z6

S. francisii has five leaves that circle around the stem. The new growth appears coming out between the leaves the plant grows straight up until it get too long and topples over. They can also be started from a leaf if you peel it off of the stem. I could not find a picture in your post? This species will form a thick round stem of leaves.

I paste the photo, as it doesn't show :

C:\Users\Roberto\Desktop\$(KGrHqJHJ!4FI1tFiunbBSPs1uTvL!~~60_12[1].jpg
It sold at 46.03 euro (I offered up to 45 but couldn't get it...)
I can't tell the size from the photo, but looks much bigger than francisii.

Here is the German translation.

You are bidding on the pictured original plant from Village Taita, Kenya! There is a strong grown specimen from Kenya and needs at least 14 ð C winter temperature.

Mike

I think it might be S. erythraeae. Native to Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan; semi-arid areas along rivers, 1200-2100m.
Synonym; S. schweinfurthii.
Description: Acaulescent, rhizomatous
Leaves: 6-8, erect, cylindrical with a short groove on the upper face and 5 furrows on the lower face, 40-50 cm:
Inf. to 50 cm, simple, spike-like; raceme.
Fl per cluster. 3-5, dense.
Here's a rather poor old photo of my plant

I should have added that erythraeae has a very smooth texture. Another candidate is bacularis but it's growths have only 2 or 3 per rosette and the texture is rough. I really don't think it's francisii because that species is caulescent (short stem) and propagates using aerial stolons, not from rhizomes like yours.

I don't think it is S. franciscii either, each leaf looks too long to me. I must admit I am not good with the names from a picture, measure the length of leaf. Ive seen
S. frfanciscii with a stem of 20" offsets coming from the base at soil line, and from the stem growing from in-between the leaves. I think there is only one form, Juan C found the plant and authored it and named it. Frances is his middle name. Nothing looks else looks like it. S. erythraeae is also unique feel aroung the base of the plant. you can feel that it forms a S.

Aethiopica, volkensii and intermedia have been suggested in other fórums, too.................

....and S.francisii is dedicated to the late Frank Horwood.

Roberto, aethiopica is a flat leaf species and intermedia is now a synonym for volkensii which has semi-terete leaves that are 45-122 cm tall and 1.3-1.9 cm diameter, and those stats don't seem to fit photo you posted. So I still favor erythraeae. However, Africa is a LARGE continent, and new species are being discovered all the time, so maybe you have a species nova. I'd love to see the inflorescence.

Okay I have at lease 6 different S. hyaceinthoides (Linne) Thjey were collected by Michael Vassar who brought back a total of 2200 plant from Africa for the Huntingtion Gardens in San Marino Calif. I have one that is glaucus blue. All the ones that I have narrow stiff leaves that grow upright. I've have at least 6 collectors come to my house to verify the names. These did all have HBG collection #'s San. Dowei have over the time collected 3 documented names all by different collectors. These are also list in the NE. Brown monograph of 1914. 88