Scientific Name
Dietes iridioides (L.) Sweet ex Klatt
Synonyms
Dietes vegeta auct.
Common Names
African iris, butterfly iris, Cape iris, dietes, fortnight lily, rock iris, wild iris
Family
Iridaceae
Origin
Native to eastern and southern Africa (i.e. Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, eastern Zaire, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and South Africa).
Naturalised Distribution
This species has recently become locally naturalised in south-eastern South Australia. It is also sparingly naturalised south-eastern Queensland and southern Victoria, and possibly also naturalised in the coastal districts of central New South Wales.
Notes
Wild iris (Dietes iridioides) is regarded as a potential environmental weed or a "sleeper weed " in many parts of southern Australia. It has been reported from urban bushland in the Hornsby Plateau region to the north of Sydney Harbour and also from remnant patches of native woodlands in the Maranoa Gardens in suburban Melbourne.
Note: this species is commonly confused with large wild iris (Dietes grandiflora ), another emerging environmental weed.
