''Dichopogon strictus'' ( syn. ''

Arthropodium ''Arthropodium'' is a genus of herbaceous perennial plants in the subfamily Lomandroideae of the family Asparagaceae. It is native to Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Madagascar. The rhizomes of some species can be eaten as root veg ...

strictum''), commonly known as chocolate lily, is a

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 ...

species native to Australia.

Description

The species has up to 12 leaves that are linear or lanceolate in shape and are up to 65 cm long and 1–12 mm wide. The racemose inflorescence is up to 1 metre high. This appears between August and January in the species' native range. The individual, drooping flowers range in colour from pale mauve to dark purple. The common name chocolate lily alludes to the scent of the flowers which resembles

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

, caramel or

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 ...

. The tubers, which are juicy and slightly bitter in taste, were eaten by

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

Taxonomy

The species was formally described in 1810 by Scottish botanist Robert Brown, based on plant material collected at

Port Dalrymple George Town (Palawa_kani: ''kinimathatakinta'') is a large town in north-east Tasmania, on the eastern bank of the mouth of the Tamar River. The Australian Bureau of Statistics records the George Town Municipal Area had a population of 6,764 as ...

in Tasmania. Brown gave it the name ''Arthropodium strictum''. In 1876, English botanist

John Gilbert Baker John Gilbert Baker (13 January 1834 – 16 August 1920) was an English botanist. His son was the botanist Edmund Gilbert Baker (1864–1949). Biography Baker was born in Guisborough in North Yorkshire, the son of John and Mary (née Gilbert ...

transferred it to the genus ''Dichopogon''. The name is treated as ''Dichopogon strictus'' in the

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) is an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected pla ...

and by the National Herbarium of New South Wales, while the name ''Arthropodium strictum'' is used in the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania as well as in the 2006

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

Cultivation

Plants prefer a well-drained situation with partial to full sun exposure. In drought conditions, plants may shrivel back to the tuber then resprout with autumn rains, whereas in situations where steady moisture levels are maintained in the soil, the summer flowering period will be extended. The species is suited to group plantings under trees or may be grown in containers.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5272515 Flora of New South Wales Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Queensland Flora of South Australia Flora of Tasmania Flora of Victoria (Australia) Asparagales of Australia Root vegetables Lomandroideae Taxa named by John Gilbert Baker Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)

Description

Taxonomy

Cultivation

See also

References