''Arthropodium milleflorum'', the pale vanilla lily, is a species of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s native to Australia. It occurs in various habitats including alpine areas and grows to between 0.3 and 1.3 metres high and 0.3 metres wide. The fleshy tubers were eaten by

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

. The plant has a strong

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the p ...

fragrance, especially noticeable on warm days. Flowering stems appear in late spring and summer, with two or more pendulous white, pale blue or pink flowers at each node. The tubers are 20–30 mm long and 3–5 mm in diameter. '' Arthropodium minus'' is a similar but smaller species with only one flower per node. Plants may be propagated from seed or by dividing the tubers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4797680 milleflorum Flora of New South Wales Flora of South Australia Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia)