Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Doryanthes excelsa
Common name
Giant Lily, Gymea Lily
Family
Doryanthaceae
Where found
Dry forest and woodland. Widely planted. Coastal north from Kiama. On and near the Great Western Highway, Blue Mountains.
Notes
Perennial herb to 5 m high or more. Basal leaves numerous, in a rosette, 100-250 cm long, 100 mm wide, sword-shaped, hairless. Stem leaves spiralling up the flower stalk, to 30 cm long. Flowers pinkish red (paler within) or rarely white, 10–16 cm long, with 6 'petals' each 6–12 cm long, united shortly at the base, in 2 whorls, more or less curved down at maturity. Bracts just below the flowers reddish. Flowers in many-flowered globular clusters, to 70 cm diameter. Seed cases red-brown at maturity, 7–10 cm long.
Protected NSW.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Doryanthes~excelsa (accessed 12 January, 2021)
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