Re: Dianella species

Einionygarddwr@aol.com wrote:
> 
> I've started growing these Australasian plants in the last few years
> and am
> becoming increasingly enamoured of them. For one thing it would appear
> that
> they don't insist on perfect drainage at all times simply in order to
> stay
> alive. I also like them for their evergreen foliage (ok, it's not the
> world's
> most glamorous foliage, but I've seen far worse...) as much as for
> their
> flowers and berries. This spring I'm glad to report that those plants
> I've
> got outside have sailed through a cold winter (cold for here: -7C)
> which was
> compounded by the fact that, like the rest of the British Isles, we've
> 
> 'enjoyed' an incredibly & uniformly wet climate since last August,
> which has
> contributed to a lot of winter damage.
> 
> At present I have one well-established clump of D.tasmanica, which has
> 
> flowered for the last two years, and a young unflowered plant of what
> is
> either D.laevis or D.revoluta (the donor was unsure which), as well as
> young
> seedlings of D.brevipedunculata, D.caerulea and D.nigra. With the
> exception
> of D.brevipedunculata they've all been outside this winter, and the
> seedlings, in 3" pots, must have been frozen through. All are
> gloriously
> alive.
> 
> This leads me to want to try some more, and to ask three questions.
> Firstly,
> how many species are there all told, and are they restricted to
> Australasia,
> or do they occur elsewhere? 

Enion

The New Zealand  flora says 24 species of Pacific and Indian Ocean
islands, south and East Asia, Tropical South America and Australasia. I
suspect the Australasian species would have the best chance of success
with you.

D nigra is the only NZ species and is a hardy endemic. My Encyclopedia
of Native Plants says it likes a moist well-drained soil, but prefes
drier conditions in humid areas. it is quite common in our local bush
and the colour of the fruits one usually sees is that desirable good
glossy dark blue. I used to grow it in the garden but somehow it has
died out and not been replaced.

The only Australian Species commonly grown here seems to be D tasmanica.
The Australian Wildflower Catalogue curiously doesn't mention this
species but lists D revoluta nd D caerulea as the two most commonly
cultivated there. Apparently Australia has a total of eight native
species.

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata (near Wellington, capital city of New Zealand)
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index