''Aristea ecklonii'' (common names: blue flies, blue stars, blue-eyed iris, blue corn-lilyFloridata entry
/ref>) is a plant species in the

Iridaceae Iridaceae is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the irises, meaning rainbow, referring to its many colours. There are 66 accepted genera with a total of c. 2244 species worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016). It include ...

, first described in 1866. It is native to central and southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

north to

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The plant is an evergreen perennial with small, blue flowers, growing in clumps with upright, grass-like leaves 15–18 in (38–46 cm) in height. It is an invasive species in high mountain forests of Sri Lanka near Nuwara Eliya and Horton Plains. It is also an invasive in Australia.Australian Rainforest Conservation Society

Retrieved 2016-06-20. also invasive in New Zealand where it is a pest species on the NPPA banned list.

References

Iridaceae Flora of Africa Invasive plant species in Sri Lanka Plants described in 1866 {{Iridaceae-stub