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Dianella (genus)
Encyclopedia
Dianella is a monocot genus
of flowering plant
s. They are commonly
called flax lilies.
In the APG II system
of plant classification
, Dianella was placed in the family
Hemerocallidaceae
. When that system was replaced by APG III in 2009, Hemerocallidaceae was combined with two other families to form a larger version of Xanthorrhoeaceae
.
Dianella ranges
from Japan
to India
, thence south to Australia
and New Zealand
; also occurring on many Pacific Islands
. About half of the species are native
to Australia. Several species
are grown for their attractive foliage and shiny, blue to purple berries. Estimates of the number of species range from 20 to more than 30. The type species
for the genus is Dianella ensata.
Dianella is not well understood taxonomically
and is in much need of revision. It is closely related to Thelionema
and Herpolirion
. Not all taxonomists recognize the genus. In one paper on the classification
of Xanthorrhoeaceae, Dianella and six other genera were subsumed in the genus Phormium.
Features:
Their habitat ranges from moist forests, dry woodland rainforests and coastal dunes.
Reports of the edibility of the fruit range from very poisonous (species not specified) to sweet and nutty (D. caerulea) while another source lists the beach flax lily (D. congesta) as being the best tasting.
The leaves were used to weave dillies
and baskets by Australian aboriginals.
References At:
NMNH Department of Botany
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s. They are commonly
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
called flax lilies.
In the APG II system
APG II system
The APG II system of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. It was a revision of the first APG system, published in 1998, and was superseded in 2009...
of plant classification
History of plant systematics
The history of plant systematics—the biological classification of plants—stretches from the work of ancient Greek to modern evolutionary biologists. As a field of science, plant systematics came into being only slowly, early plant lore usually being treated as part of the study of...
, Dianella was placed in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Hemerocallidaceae
Hemerocallidaceae
Hemerocallidoideae is the botanical name of a subfamily of flowering plants, part of the family Xanthorrhoeaceae sensu lato in the monocot order Asparagales according to the APG system of 2009. Earlier classification systems treated the group as a separate family, the Hemerocallidaceae. The name...
. When that system was replaced by APG III in 2009, Hemerocallidaceae was combined with two other families to form a larger version of Xanthorrhoeaceae
Xanthorrhoeaceae
Xanthorrhoeaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants in the order Asparagales. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists, but the circumscription of the family has varied wildly....
.
Dianella ranges
Range (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, thence south to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
; also occurring on many Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
. About half of the species are native
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
to Australia. Several species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are grown for their attractive foliage and shiny, blue to purple berries. Estimates of the number of species range from 20 to more than 30. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
for the genus is Dianella ensata.
Dianella is not well understood taxonomically
Plant taxonomy
Plant taxonomy is the science that finds, describes, classifies, identifies, and names plants. It thus is one of the main branches of taxonomy.Plant taxonomy is closely allied to plant systematics, and there is no sharp boundary between the two...
and is in much need of revision. It is closely related to Thelionema
Thelionema
Thelionema is a small genus of tufted perennials in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae. All three species, which were previously placed in the genus Stypandra, are native to Australia. These are:...
and Herpolirion
Herpolirion
Herpolirion is a genus of perennial herbs in the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae. The sole species is Herpolirion novae-zelandiae, commonly known as Sky Lily...
. Not all taxonomists recognize the genus. In one paper on the classification
Biological classification
Biological classification, or scientific classification in biology, is a method to group and categorize organisms by biological type, such as genus or species. Biological classification is part of scientific taxonomy....
of Xanthorrhoeaceae, Dianella and six other genera were subsumed in the genus Phormium.
Features:
- Long strappy leaves up to 1 m long
- Range in colour from deep green, blue-green to pale green
- Underground rhizomeRhizomeIn botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
- Blue flowers in spring
- 3-petalPetalPetals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s & 3-sepalSepalA sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s (or 6-petals to the casual observer) - Prominent yellow stamens
- Borne in sprays on a stem, for most species above the leaves
- 3-petal
- Shiny blue to purple berries
- 5mm - 15mm diameter
- Spherical to elongated
- Spongy pulp
- Shiny black seeds
Their habitat ranges from moist forests, dry woodland rainforests and coastal dunes.
Australian Species (incomplete)
- Dianella bambusifolia, berries reported edible
- Dianella brevicaulis
- Dianella brevipedunculata, leaves to 60 cm, flowers & berries hidden within leaves
- Dianella caeruleaDianella caeruleaDianella caerulea, commonly known as the Blue flax-lily, blueberry lily, or paroo lily, is a perennial herb of the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, found across the eastern states of Australia and Tasmania. It is a herbaceous strappy perennial plant to a metre high, with dark...
, Paroo lily, leaves to 60 cm, flower stem to 90 cm - Dianella congesta, Beach flax lily, fruit in tight bunches, berries reported edible best tasting
- Dianella longifolia, flower step up to 1m, berries reported edible
- Dianella pavopenacea, berries reported edible
- Dianella rara
- Dianella revolutaDianella revolutaDianella revoluta, commonly known as the Black-anther Flax-lily, Blueberry Flax-lily or Spreading Flax-Lily, is a perennial herb of the family Hemerocallidaceae found across the eastern states of Australia and Tasmania....
, berries reported edible - Dianella tasmanicaDianella tasmanicaDianella tasmanica, commonly known as the Tasman Flax-lily or Tasmanian Flax-lily is a herbaceous strappy perennial herb of the family Xanthorrhoeaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, found in southeastern Australia and Tasmania. It has leaves to 80 cm, flower stem to 1.5 m, and the berries are not...
, Tasman flax lily, leaves to 80 cm, flower stem to 1.5m, berries not edible - Dianella tenuissima, recently discovered tussock-forming species from the Blue Mountains of New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
- Dianella amoena
- Dianella tarda
- Dianella poracea
New Zealand Species (incomplete)
- Dianella intermediaDianella intermediaDianella intermedia is a perennial herb of the family family Xanthorrhoeaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, found in New Zealand, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Island. It grows to 2 feet with pale violet flowers followed by turquoise berries....
, known in MaoriMaori languageMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
as Turutu and paintedhttp://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=4780&l=en by the New Zealand artist Emily Cumming Harris
Uses
Landscaping - some species have dense attractive foliage and eye-catching displays of long-lasting bright blue berries.Reports of the edibility of the fruit range from very poisonous (species not specified) to sweet and nutty (D. caerulea) while another source lists the beach flax lily (D. congesta) as being the best tasting.
The leaves were used to weave dillies
Dillybag
A dillybag or dilly bag is a traditional Australian Aboriginal bag, generally woven from the fibres of plant species of the Pandanus genus....
and baskets by Australian aboriginals.
External links
References At:
NMNH Department of Botany