Purple flag | |
---|---|
Patersonia occidentalis in the ANBG | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Iridaceae |
Genus: | Patersonia |
Species: | P. occidentalis |
Binomial name | |
Patersonia occidentalis | |
Synonyms [1] | |
Patersonia occidentalis, commonly known as purple flag, [2] or long purple-flag, [3] is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae and is endemic to southern Australia. It is a tufted, rhizome-forming perennial with narrow, sharply-pointed, strap-like leaves, egg-shaped, bluish violet sepals and a cylindrical capsule. The Noongar name for the plant is komma. [4]
Patersonia occidentalis is a tufted, rhizome-forming perennial that typically grows to a height of up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in). It has four to ten sharply-pointed, glabrous, strap-like leaves 80–550 mm (3.1–21.7 in) long and 2–10 mm (0.079–0.394 in) wide. The flowering scape is 10–80 mm (0.39–3.15 in) long with the sheath enclosing the flowers elliptic to lance-shaped, brown and 30–50 mm (1.2–2.0 in) long. The sepals are bluish-violet, 20–35 mm (0.79–1.38 in) long and 12–22 mm (0.47–0.87 in) wide, the petals are lance-shaped and the stamen filaments are 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long and joined together. Flowering mainly occurs from September to December, each flower open for one day, but each stem producing many flowers. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule 18–25 mm (0.71–0.98 in) long. [5] [6] [7]
Patersonia occidentalis was first formally described by the botanist Robert Brown in 1810 in his book Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae . [8] [9] The specific epithet (occidentalis) means "western", referring to the distribution of this species compared to others in the genus Patersonia. [10]
The names of three varieties of P. occidentalis are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:
Purple flag occurs in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. In Western Australia it grows in winter-wet areas, on sand dunes and around granite outcrops and is widespread and common between the Murchison River in the north and Israelite Bay in the south. In South Australia P. occidentalis grows in heath and in clearings, usually in poorly-drained sites and is only found in the south-east of the state. In Victoria the species is widespread in near-coastal areas on poorly-drained sites and in Tasmania it forms clumps in swampy places in the north and east of the state. [2] [5] [6] [7] [16]
Cultivated in gardens the species is frost tolerant and able to cope in a dry position. [17] [18]
Eucalyptus viminalis, commonly known as the manna gum, white gum or ribbon gum, is a species of small to very tall tree that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has smooth bark, sometimes with rough bark near the base, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of three or seven, white flowers and cup-shaped or hemispherical fruit.
Pimelea microcephala, commonly known as mallee rice-flower or shrubby rice-flower is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to mainland Australia. It is an erect shrub with compact heads of male or female, white to yellow or greenish flowers on separate plants, the heads surrounded by 2 or 4 leaf-like involucral bracts.
Hakea ulicina, commonly known as furze hakea, is a shrub in the family Proteaceae and endemic to Victoria. It has stiff, long, narrow leaves and creamy-white flowers.
Lobelia purpurascens, commonly known as white root or purplish pratia, is a flowering plant in the family Campanulaceae of eastern Australia. It is a small herbaceous, scrambling plant with white to pale pink flowers.
Pimelea octophylla, commonly known as woolly riceflower or downy riceflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect shrub with densely hairy young stems, narrowly elliptic leaves and heads of 22 to 45 densely hairy, cream-coloured to pale yellow flowers surrounded by 6 to 12 leaf-like involucral bracts.
Cassinia aculeata, commonly known as common cassinia, dolly bush or dogwood , is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub with sessile, linear, variably-sized leaves, and heads of creamy-white to white flowers arranged in rounded cymes.
Gompholobium huegelii, commonly known as common wedge-pea is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with trifoliate leaves and cream-coloured to yellow and greenish, pea-like flowers.
Caladenia latifolia, commonly known as pink fairies is a species of orchid endemic to Australia and is common and widespread in the southern half of the continent and in Tasmania. It has a single, hairy leaf and up to four pink flowers. It is easily distinguished by its relatively large, green leaf, and pink flowers on an unusually tall spike.
Daviesia latifolia, commonly known as hop bitter-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a slender, erect, spreading shrub with elliptic, egg-shaped or lance-shaped phyllodes and orange-yellow and maroon flowers in long racemes.
Pultenaea juniperina, commonly known as prickly bush-pea or prickly beauty is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect, spiky shrub with hairy stems, linear to narrow elliptic leaves with stipules at the base, and yellow-orange and red flowers.
Persoonia juniperina, commonly known as prickly geebung, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a small erect to low-lying shrub with smooth bark, hairy new branches, linear leaves, yellow flowers borne singly or in groups of up to forty in leaf axils, and yellowish green to purplish fruit.
Patersonia fragilis, commonly known as swamp iris or short purple-flag, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a tufted perennial herb with linear, cylindrical leaves and pale violet to blue-violet flowers.
Pomaderris elliptica, commonly known as yellow dogwood or smooth pomaderris, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with densely hairy branchlets, egg-shaped or elliptic leaves, and pale yellow flowers.
Grevillea ramosissima, commonly known as fan grevillea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Proteaceae and is endemic to eastern continental Australia. It is a low, spreading shrub with lobed leaves and clusters of cream-coloured to pale yellow flowers.
Patersonia sericea, commonly known as purple flag or silky purple-flag is a species of plant in the iris family Iridaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a densely-tufted perennial herb with linear, sword-shaped leaves, broadly egg-shaped, bluish-violet tepals and an oval capsule.
Pimelea drupacea, commonly known as cherry rice-flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a shrub with elliptic leaves arranged in opposite pairs, and head-like clusters of white, tube-shaped flowers surrounded by two or four leaves.
Patersonia glabrata, commonly known as leafy purple-flag, or bugulbi in the Cadigal language, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a perennial herb or subshrub with linear leaves and pale violet flowers.
Baeckea latifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a shrub with broadly elliptic leaves and small white flowers with six to eight stamens.
Spyridium eriocephalum, commonly known as heath spyridium or heath dustymiller, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rhamnaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect to spreading shrub with linear leaves, and heads of white or cream-coloured, woolly-hairy flowers with brown bracts at the base.
Leucopogon virgatus, commonly known as common beard-heath, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect to low-lying shrub with linear to narrowly lance-shaped or egg-shaped leaves, and erect clusters of three to seven white, tube-shaped flowers on the ends of branches and in upper leaf axils.