[pbs] Mystery Iridaceae from the former Transvaal, SA
Mary Sue Ittner
msittner at mcn.org
Sun May 20 01:35:33 EDT 2007
Hi,
Following up on Aaron's suggestion I looked at my Transvaal field guide
and found this:
Aristea woodii
"An attractive perennial , 400-600 mm high when in flower, with tapering
leaves and an erect inflorescence of shimmering pale blue, mauve or white
flowers which are 15-20 mm wide. Each bloom opens in the early morning and
by noon it has twisted into a tight spiral, becoming inky-blue in colour.
Flowering time is from December to February. Widely recorded along the
entire escarpment and foothills, in open grassland or swampy areas."
Field guides never include all possibilities, but the only other irids
listed are Hesperantha coccinea, a couple of Crocosmias, a number of
Gladiolus and a couple of Watsonias. None of them are violet blue.
Mary Sue
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