Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Dianella caerulea

Flowering stems (var. caerulea). Photographer Don Wood, Bomaderry Creek Regional Reserve near Nowra

Fruiting stem (var. caerulea). Photographer Don Wood, Princes Highway north of Bodalla

Plant (var. caerulea). Australian Plant Image Index, Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants key, unknown photographer

Flowers (var. producta). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Facc, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Flowering stem and leaf (var. vannata). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Flowering plant  (var. vannata). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Plant (var. assera). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Common name

Blue Flax-lily. Paroo Lily (var. caerulea)

Family

Hemerocallidaceae

Where found

Forest, woodland, heath, shrubland, and rocky areas.

var. assera:  Coast and ranges north from the Nowra district.

var. caerulea:  Coast, ranges, and the tablelands.

var. cinerascens:  Sydney area, Blue Mountains. Tablelands adjacent to the Blue Mountains

var. producta:  Coast and ranges north from Bermagui.

var. protensa:  Coast and ranges north from Jervis Bay.

var. vannata:  Blue Mountains. Most records north from Byron Bay.

Notes

Perennial herb to 1.8 m high, tufted and single, or mat-forming, sometimes rhizomatous. Fruit fleshy, blue. Stems hairless or scaly. Leaves arranged in two rows on opposite sides of the stem, 10–75 cm long; 3–25 mm wide, flat or the margins somewhat curved down, upper surface the same colour as lower surface or the ower surface slightly paler, upper surface usually glossy, margins and midrib on the lower surface irregularly toothed and rough, the sheaths at the base keeled, and folded together lengthwise, a third to almost completely closed at the top. Flowers whitish, greenish white or creamy green, or pale to dark blue, with 6 'petals'. Outer 'petals' 7–11.5 mm long, inner 'petals' 6.3–10.5 mm long. Anthers yellow-brown. Inflorescence longer than the leaves, the sub-clusters expanded to contracted, 3–25-flowered. Flowering: mostly spring–summer. Fruit purple, 7–12 mm long.

Family Phormiaceae in PlantNET. Family Asphodelaceae in VICFLORA.

var. assera:  Plant tufted, single, to 1.8 m high. Stems with scales for most of their length, elongating. Extra shoots produced from near the tops of the leaf sheaths. Leaves not glaucous. Leaf sheaths more than two-thirds closed at the top, more or less biconvex in cross section in that region. Flowers pale to mid-blue, often with green streaks externally. Flower clusters expanded or contracted, few-flowered. 

var. caerulea:  Plant tufted, single, to 0.5 m high. Stems short, leafy, scales few near the base. Stems touching or up to 60 cm apart. No extra shoots produced from near the tops of the leaf sheaths. Leaves not glaucous. Leaf sheath one- to two-thirds closed  at the top, Y-shaped in cross section in that region. Flowers mid- to dark blue. Flower clusters more or less expanded, fewer than 10-flowered.

var. cinerascens:  Plant tufted, single to gregarious, to 0.8 m high, rhizomatous. True stems less than 0.1 m long, touching or up to 30 cm apart. Leaves strongly glaucous. Leaf sheaths more than two-thirds closed at the top, more or less biconvex in cross section in that region. Flowers creamy-green to pale blue. Flower clusters contracted, few-flowered. 

var. producta:  Plant tufted, single, to 1.3 m high. Stems elongating, with scales for most of their length, scales touching or up to 10 cm apart. Extra shoots produced from near the tops of the leaf sheaths in older plants. Leaf sheath one- to two-thirds closed at the top, Y-shaped in cross section in that region. Flowers greenish white to bright blue. Flower clusters more or less expanded.

var. protensa:  Plant tufted, single, to 0.5 m high. Stems adjacent, or to 30 cm apart. Stems leafy for most of their length, elongating somewhat, with scales and then leaves increasing in size upwards. No extra shoots produced from near the tops of the sheaths. Leaves not glaucous. Leaf sheaths more than two-thirds closed at the top, more or less biconvex in cross section in that region. Flowers pale blue. Flower clusters more or less expanded, 3–5-flowered.

var. vannata:  Plant tufted, single, to 1.3 m high. Stems more or less adjacent. Stems leafy for most of their length, elongating, with scales and then leaves increasing in size upwards. No extra shoots produced from near the tops of the sheaths. Leaves not glaucous. Leaf sheaths more than two-thirds closed at the top, more or less biconvex in cross section in that region. Flowers white to mid-blue. Flower clusters expanded to contracted, many-flowered. 

PlantNET description of species and key to varieties:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Dianella~caerulea (accessed 26 April 2021)