Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Dianella porracea

Common name

Riverine Flax-lily, Leek Flax-lily

Family

Hemerocallidaceae

Where found

Dry forest, woodland, and near streams and lakes. Western Slopes.

Notes

Perennial herb to 1.2 m tall, tufted, single, rhizomatous. Fruit fleshy, blue. Leaves arranged in two rows on opposite sides of the stem, 20–80 cm long, 8-25 mm wide, about the same width throughout their length, broadly V-shaped in cross section, rather thick-textured and stiff, glaucous or blue-green, rarely purple with a waxy bloom, upper surface the same colour as lower surface, margins and midrib on lower surface smooth or, rarely, rough and irregularly covered with minute warts. Not or hardly sheathing at the base, basal sheaths if present pallid to pale brown, less than half closed at the top. Flowers pale or greenish blue to deep sky blue, with 6 'petals', outer 'petals' 6–10 mm long, inner 'petals' 5.5–9 mm long. Anthers pale yellow. Inflorescence exceeding the leaves, the sub-clusters 2–10-flowered. Flowers spring–summer. Fruit pale to dark blue, 3–7 mm long, lumpy.

Family Phormiaceae in PlantNET. Family Asphodelaceae in VICFLORA.

Vulnerable Vic.

PlantNET description with line drawing:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Dianella~porracea (accessed 26 April 2021)

VICFLORA description with photos:  https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/74697cae-57bc-420b-9de1-736531bc5038 (accessed 26 April 2021)