Doryanthes excelsa

Location & distribution maps

Plant  information

Common name:                Gymea Lily

• Its common name is derived from the name given to the plant by the indigenous [Dharawal] people

• The Sydney suburbs of Gymea and Gymea Bay are named after the lily

Conservation status:  Least concern

Etymology:   

• The genus name (Doryanthes) is derived from the Ancient Greek δόρυ (dóry) meaning a "spear"[6]: 277  and ἄνθος (ánthos) meaning "a flower"

• The specific epithet (excelsa) is a Latin word meaning "high", "lofty" or "distinguished"

Flowers:                  

• In winter the flower spike grows from the centre of the rosette until it is up to 6 m high, bearing shorter leaves up to 30 cm long

• At the top of the spike, a head of flowers 30 cm in diameter develops

• Each flower being bright red, trumpet-shaped and about 10 cm long

• The head is surrounded by reddish-brown bracts, sometimes making it difficult to see the flowers from the ground

• Flowering occurs in spring

Fruit:                         

• Oval-shaped reddish-brown capsules, 7–10 cm long

• In late summer, the capsule splits open and releases the seeds which are 15–23 mm long

Leaves:         

• They have a rosette of large numbers of sword-shaped, strap like leaves 1–2.5 m long and 10 cm wide

• The leaves are bright green, fibrous and glabrous

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

Habitat:   

•  Woodland and dry sclerophyll forest 

• These are near coastal areas and adjacent mountains 

•  It usually grows in soils derived from sandstone

Distribution:                  

• It is endemic to coastal areas of NSW near Sydney

• From Karuah to Mount Keira

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy 

  • Doryanthes excelsa was first formally described in 1802 by the Portuguese polymath, José Correia da Serra from the type specimen collected by George Bass "in mountainous parts of the colony of N.S.W.". 

  • The description was published in Transactions of the Linnean Society of London

  • Doryanthes excelsa and Doryanthes palmeri are the only two members of the family Doryanthaceae

  • "Doryanthes" has inspired the naming of the journal of history and heritage for Southern Sydney founded by Dharawal historian Les Bursill

• Uses

  • Indigenous use

    • Aboriginal people roasted the young stems of gymea lily for eating

    • They also roasted the roots to make a kind of cake

    • Fibres from the leaves were used for making brushes and matting

  • Horticulture

    • Gymea lilies are hardy and adaptable plants often used in landscape gardening, not only in the Sydney region but also in other coastal areas such as Brisbane and Perth

    • Plants can be grown from seed but may not flower for up to eight years

    • Flowering can be encouraged by fire and by carefully placing a stone in the centre of the rosette

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doryanthes_excelsa (Feb 2024)