Diplarrena

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information:

Wikipedia links:       Angiosperms > Monocots >  Asparagales > Iridaceae > Diplarrena

Other links:     

Plant  information

Common name:                unknown  

Conservation status:  unknown

Etymology:   

• The name is from Greek diploos ("double") and arren ("male")

Flowers:                  

• Flowers appear one at a time from a green terminal spathe

• They are iris-like but distinctly zygomorphic

• There are six white tepals and a style with two thread-like branches

• Plants in the genus have only two functional stamens, while all other Iridaceae have three

Fruit:                         

Leaves:         

• The leaves are basal, linear, flat, and present all year

Stem & branches: 

• The stem is erect, with a few reduced leaves

Roots:         

Habit:        

• These plants are tufted perennial herbs with short rhizomes 

Habitat:   

Distribution:                  

• The two species are endemic to Australia

Species:                     

• World:             2 species 

• Australia:       2 species

Additional notes:     

• The name is often misspelled Diplarrhena, an error that began with George Bentham's Flora Australiensis in 1873

• There are two species:

  • Diplarrena moraea Labill. is from Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales

    • It has leaves up to a centimeter wide

    • The flowers are 5 to 6 centimeters wide, with blunt-tipped outer tepals 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters wide

    • The inner tepals are often tinged or veined with purple, and are yellowish at the tips.

  • Diplarrena latifolia Benth. from Tasmania 

    • A larger plant with leaves 1 to 2.2 centimeters wide

    • The flowers are 6 to 8 centimeters wide with strongly purple-veined, yellow-tipped inner tepals

    • The species may be a regional variant of D. moraea

• The cultivar 'Amethyst Fairy' is a large-flowered selection with darker markings on the inner tepals.

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplarrena (2023)