| Patersonia | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Patersonia sericea | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Subfamily: | Patersonioideae Goldblatt |
| Genus: | Patersonia R.Br. [1] |
| Type species | |
| Patersonia sericea R.Br. | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
Genosiris Labill. | |
Patersonia, is a genus of plants whose species are commonly known as native iris or native flag and are native to areas from Malesia to Australia. [2]
They are perennials with basal leaves growing from a woody rhizome that in some species extends above ground to form a short trunk. The leaves are tough and fibrous, often with adaptations for conserving moisture, such as stomata sunk in grooves, a thickened cross-section, marginal hairs, and thickened margins. The flowers appear from between a pair of bracts on a leafless stem. They have three large outer tepals that are usually blue to violet, and three tiny inner tepals. There are three stamens fused at the base to form a tube around the longer style, which bears a flattened stigma. [3]
The genus Patersonia was first formally described in 1807 by Robert Brown in the Botanical Magazine . [4] The genus name is a tribute to the first Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales in Australia, William Paterson, "a gentleman whose name has been long familiar to the naturalist". [5] [6]
The following is a list of Patersonia species accepted by Plants of the World Online as of October 2021: [1]
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