Blueberry lily
Near the Great Ocean Road
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asphodelaceae
Subfamily: Hemerocallidoideae
Genus: Dianella
Species:
D. revoluta
Binomial name
Dianella revoluta

Dianella revoluta, commonly known as blueberry lily, blue flax-lily,[2] or black-anther flax-lily,[3] a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae and is endemic to, and widespread in Australia. It is a tufted, perennial herb with grass-like leaves and up to nine blue or violet flowers with six tepals, and stamens with bright yellow filaments and pale brown to almost black anthers.

Description

Dianella revoluta is a tufted, perennial herb with stems less than 15 cm (5.9 in) long and touching or up to 30 cm (12 in) apart. The leaves are folded lengthwise and grass-like, 15–85 cm (5.9–33.5 in) long and 3–23 mm (0.12–0.91 in) wide. The flowers are blue to violet and are arranged in groups of two to nine, each flower 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) wide on a pedicel 5–35 mm (0.20–1.38 in) long. The three sepals are 5.5–10 mm (0.22–0.39 in) long with five to seven veins and the petals 5.2–9.5 mm (0.20–0.37 in) long with five veins. The stamen filaments are 0.6–2.3 mm (0.024–0.091 in) long and bright yellow, the anthers 2.5–4.5 mm (0.098–0.177 in) long and pale brown to almost black. Flowering mainly occurs from spring to early summer and the fruit is a blue to purple berry, 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long.[2][4][5][6]

Taxonomy

Dianella revoluta was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown in his Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.[7][8]

Five varieties of D. revoluta are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

  • Dianella revoluta var. divaricata (R.Br.) R.J.F.Henderson;[9]
  • Dianella revoluta var. minor R.J.F.Henderson;[10]
  • Dianella revoluta R.Br. var. revoluta R.J.F.Henderson;[11]
  • Dianella revoluta var. tenuis R.J.F.Henderson;[12]
  • Dianella revoluta var. vinosa R.J.F.Henderson.[13]

Distribution and habitat

Blueberry lily is common and widespread in all Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory but not the Northern Territory, growing in a wide range of habitats apart from very wet and very dry habitats.[4]

Uses

The berry of D. revoluta is reported to be edible.[14]

Cultural use

Dianella, Western Australia was named after this plant, which was plentiful in the area prior to the 1960s residential development.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Dianella revoluta". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 Wilson, Karen L. "Dianella revoluta R.Br". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  3. ↑ Walsh, Neville; Ohlsen, Daniel. "Dianella revoluta". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  4. 1 2 Henderson, Rodney J.F. "Dianella revoluta". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Walsh, Neville. "Dianella revoluta var. revoluta". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  6. ↑ Anthony Huxley, Mark Griffiths, and Margot Levy (1992). The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press, Limited: London. The Stockton Press: New York. ISBN 978-0-333-47494-5 (set).
  7. ↑ "Dianella revoluta". APNI. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  8. ↑ Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus florae Novae Hollandiae. London: Typis R. Taylor et socii,1810. p. 280. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Dianella revoluta var. divaricata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  10. ↑ "Dianella revoluta var. minor". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Dianella revoluta". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  12. ↑ "Dianella revoluta var. tenuis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "Dianella revoluta var. vinosa". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  14. ↑ Wild food plants of Australia, Tim Low
  15. ↑ "Perth suburb names". Landgate. Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
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