Calectasia grandiflora

Calectasia grandiflora, commonly known as the blue tinsel lily, is a plant in the family Dasypogonaceae growing as a perennial herb endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It flowers in spring.

Blue tinsel lily
C. grandiflora at Mount Barker.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Dasypogonaceae
Genus: Calectasia
Species:
C. grandiflora
Binomial name
Calectasia grandiflora
Occurrence data from AVH

Description

Calectasia grandiflora is a rhizomatous perennial herb growing to a height of about 60 cm (24 in). The stems have many side branches and bear leaves 5.2–16.5 x 0.4–1.2 mm. The six petals are blue but turn red as they age; the central anthers are yellow and do not change colour as they age, unlike those of some other Calectasia species.[1] Flowers appear from June to October (Winter and Spring) overall,[2] though earlier in Perth than in the wheatbelt and Stirling Ranges.[1]

Taxonomy and naming

Calectasia grandiflora is one of eleven species in the genus Calectasia. It was first described by Ludwig Preiss in Plantae Preissianae in 1846.[3] The specific epithet (grandiflorum) is from the Latin grandis = great and floris = flower referring to the flowers that are relatively large compared to those of the similar C. narragara.[1] It is commonly called the blue tinsel lily.[4] "Large-flowered tinsel lily" has been proposed as an alternate common name to distinguish it from other members of the genus.[1]

Distribution and habitat

Blue tinsel lily grows on sand, sandy clay, gravel, laterite and granite in swampy areas and on rock outcrops, flats, slopes and ridges.[5] It is endemic to the south-western corner of Western Australia, occurring in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance, Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren biogeographic regions.[2]

Conservation status

Calectasia grandiflora is not threatened at present.[5]

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References
  1. Barrett, Russell L.; Dixon, Kingsley W. (8 January 2001). "A revision of the genus Calectasia (Calectasiaceae) with eight new species described from south-west Western Australia" (PDF). Nuytsia. 13 (3): 426–427. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  2. Paczkowska, Grazyna; Chapman, Alex R. (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 58. ISBN 0646402439.
  3. Preiss, Ludwig (1846). "Calectasieae". Plantae Preissianae. 2: 53. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  4. "Calectasia grandiflora". APNI. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  5. Spooner, Amanda. "Florabase: The Western Australia Flora - Calectasia grandiflora". Retrieved 18 February 2015.
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