''Simethis'' is a genus of plants in the family
Asphodelaceae, subfamily
Hemerocallidoideae. It contains only one known species, ''Simethis mattiazzii'', commonly called the Kerry lily.
[Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]
''wcsp.science.kew.org''
It grows in dry places especially near the coast in Western Europe (
Ireland,
France,
Spain,
Portugal,
Italy) and northern
Africa (
Algeria,
Morocco,
Tunisia). Its common name is based on its occurrence at a few sites in
County Kerry
County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...
,
Ireland.
[
]
Description
The Kerry lily is a perennial plant reaching a maximum height of . It has a vertical rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
and fleshy roots. The leaves grow from the base of the plant and are up to long; they are narrow, linear and grass-like, and sometimes curl. The inflorescence is a sparsely-branched, erect, wiry stem bearing a few small leaves and a loose spike of three to ten flowers with six tepals. The flowers are in diameter, purple-grey in bud and gleaming white when they open. The six stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
s have fuzzy white filaments tipped by yellow anthers
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...
. The fruit is a three-lobed capsule. The Kerry lily flowers in May and June.
Distribution and habitat
The Kerry lily has a scattered, mainly maritime, distribution in Western Europe and North Africa. The only place in the British Isles where it is found is in County Kerry
County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...
in southwestern Ireland, where it is restricted to a area around Derrynane
Derrynane, officially Darrynane (), is a small village in the civil parish of Kilcrohane in County Kerry, Ireland. It is located on the Iveragh peninsula, just off the N70 national primary road near Caherdaniel on the shores of Derrynane Bay.
...
.[
This plant has a relictual distribution, with southwestern Ireland being its most northerly occurrence. It was recorded from Dorset in southern England, but seems to now be extinct there. It is more common in Brittany and the Loire Valley, and the northern flanks of the Pyrenees but much rarer further inland. It is also common in the coastal strip of the Iberian Peninsula, and was discovered growing on the island of Marettimo, Sicily, for the first time in 2012. The population in North Africa is very fragmentary.][
]
References
External links
Interactive Flora of NW Europe
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10371644
Hemerocallidoideae
Monotypic Asphodelaceae genera
Flora of Europe
Flora of North Africa