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Dianella tasmanica Hook.f.

Flax lily

Flax lilies are sedge-like herbaceous perennials native to Tasmania and southeastern Australia.

I had a terrible time finding out what this was on the web. Go ahead, try it. Type “blueberries,” or “blue berries,” or “blue seed pods,” or “blue peppers” (I was getting desperate). Finally I wrote to the people at Shore Acres State Park in Oregon, and they were kind enough to identify the plant I had photographed while visiting their botanical gardens. Flax lilies are popular with gardeners, and many cultivars are available. It is not found in the wild in North America, and is a native of southeaster Australia, including Tasmania.

Plants: A clump-forming perennial up to 2½′ (76 cm) tall.

Leaves: Long grasslike leaves, up to 2½′ (80 cm).

Flowers: Purple flowers with yellow stamens appear atop stems up to 5′ (1.5 m) in height. Flowers are ½–¾″ (1.3–1.9 cm) in diameter. Flowers appear from August to Feburary—summer in Australia.

Fruits: The bright blue berries, ½–¾″ (1.3–1.9 cm) in length, are unlike anything I have ever seen, resembling small bell peppers in shape.

Habitats: Moist, shaded forests in Tasmania, Victoria and along the east coast of New South Wales, in Australia.

Edibility: Poisonous. Skull & Crossbones Fruit is toxic.

Dianella tasmanica (flax lily)

From ozbreed.com.au.

Dianella tasmanica (flax lily)

Foliage (foreground) is evenly colored, though it is variegated in many cultivars.

Online References:

The Australian Government's Australian National Botanic Gardens

Wikipedia

Plants for a Future

Gymnosperms.org

Dianella hookeri Baker
Dianella tasmanica f. laevis Schlittler
Dianella tasmanica var. gigantea Schlittler
Dianella divaricata f. dentifera Schlittler
Dianella archeri Hook.f.
Dianella tasmanica var. variegata C.Pynaert
Dianella densa Lindb.

 

Dianella tasmanica (flax lily)

Native to SE Australia. · 8/27/2007 · Shore Acres State Park, Cape Arago, Ore­gon

Dianella tasmanica (flax lily)

Native to SE Australia. · 8/27/2007 · Shore Acres State Park, Cape Arago, Ore­gon

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassLiliopsidaMonocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
SubclassLiliidaeIncludes lilies, orchids, and many others
OrderAsparagalesA diverse group that includes asparagus
FamilyXanthorrhoeaceaeAloes, many tropical plants, flax lilies, daylilies, many others
GenusDianellaFor Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, moon, and nature
SpeciestasmanicaOf or from Tasmania

About plant names...

Range: Zones 9b-11:

About this map...

Dianella tasmanica description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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