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Scientific Name
Synonyms
Family
Common Names
Origin
Naturalised Distribution
Notes
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Click on images to enlarge

mass amenity planting (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

habit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

close-up of strap-like leaves (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

white flower with purple and yellow markings (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

close-up of immature fruit (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

close-up of mature fruit with seeds (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

seedlings germinating amongst adult plants (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

habit from above (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

strap-like leaves (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

close-up of flower showing the purplish style branches and plain white inner 'petals', which lack any markings (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

close-up of young fruit subtended by two bracts (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

young plant (Photo: Sheldon Navie)

Dietes iridioides

Scientific Name

Dietes iridioides (L.) Sweet ex Klatt

Synonyms

Dietes vegeta auct.

Family

Iridaceae

Common Names

African iris, butterfly iris, Cape iris, dietes, fortnight lily, rock iris, wild iris

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.