Dietes robinsoniana Wedding lily Family IRIDACEAE
A perennial herb to 1.5m high, with a thick creeping rhizome and blue-green straplike leaves. Uncommon, found locally abundant at some locations e.g. Far Flats, Goat House, the Saddle, and other open sites around the mountains. One of the most attractive flowers on Lord Howe, this is an endemic species from a genus found elsewhere only in southern Africa, where there are 5 species.
Leaves linear, coming from the base, 100cm long, 5cm wide, blue-green with midrib prominent. Inflorescence: much branched on a long stalk. Flowers (Jul-Nov) 3 petals, white with yellow markings (nectar guides), an open structure 9cm across. Each flower opens for one day only, opening by early morning, closing by late afternoon. Fruit a cylindrical capsule 4cm X 2.5cm, green, drying to brown, exposing columns of flat, black triangular seeds 10mm. Named after Sir Hercules Robinson, governor of NSW 1872 to 1879
