''Dianella'' is a genus of about forty species of flowering plants in the

monocot Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, (Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

family

Asphodelaceae Asphodelaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Asparagales. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists, but the circumscription has varied widely. In its current circumscription in the APG IV system, it includes about 40 ...

and are commonly known as flax lilies. Plants in this genus are tufted

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

with more or less linear leaves and

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

flowers with three

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s more or less similar to three petals and a

superior ovary In the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the pistil which holds the ovule(s) and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the bas ...

, the fruit a

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

. They occur in Africa, South-east Asia, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia. Several species of this genus, or the whole genus, are sometimes referred to by the common name blue flax lily, particularly in Australia.

Description

Plants in the genus ''Dianella'' are tufted

perennial 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 ...

rhizomatous 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 ...

herbs with fibrous or fleshy roots, more or less linear leaves with their bases overlapping, bisexual flowers with three sepals more or less similar to three blue, purple or white petals and a superior ovary, and the fruit a berry.

Taxonomy

The name ''Dianella'' was first formally published by

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Pierre Antoine de Monet, chevalier de Lamarck (1 August 1744 – 18 December 1829), often known simply as Lamarck (; ), was a French naturalist, biologist, academic, and soldier. He was an early proponent of the idea that biologi ...

in 1786 in his ''

Encyclopédie Méthodique The ''Encyclopédie méthodique par ordre des matières'' ("Methodical Encyclopedia by Order of Subject Matter") was published between 1782 and 1832 by the French publisher Charles Joseph Panckoucke, his son-in-law Henri Agasse, and the latter's ...

'', but this did not validly establish the name because Lamarck did not include a description of the new genus.Rodney J.F. Henderson. 1977. Typification of ''Dianella'' Lam. ex Juss. (Liliaceae). ''

Taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

'' 26(1):131-137.

Antoine Laurent de Jussieu Antoine Laurent de Jussieu (; 12 April 1748 – 17 September 1836) was a French botanist, notable as the first to publish a natural classification of flowering plants; much of his system remains in use today. His classification was based on an e ...

made it a

correct name In botany, the correct name according to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICN) is the one and only botanical name that is to be used for a particular taxon, when that taxon has a particular circumscription, posit ...

in 1789 when he published a

description Description is the pattern of narrative development that aims to make vivid a place, object, character, or group. Description is one of four rhetorical modes (also known as ''modes of discourse''), along with exposition, argumentation, and narr ...

in the first edition of his ''

Genera Plantarum ''Genera Plantarum'' is a publication of Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778). The first edition was issued in Leiden, 1737. The fifth edition served as a complementary volume to ''Species Plantarum'' (1753). Article 13 of the Internati ...

''. The name ''Dianella'' is a reference to the Roman goddess Diana with the suffix ''ella'' meaning "small". The genus ''Dianella'' is closely related to '' Thelionema'' and '' Herpolirion''.Dion S. Devey, Ilia Leitch, Paula J. Rudall, J. Chris Pires, Yohan Pillon, and Mark W. Chase. "Systematics of Xanthorrhoeaceae sensu lato, with an emphasis on ''Bulbine''". ''Aliso'' 22(''Monocots: Comparative Biology and Evolution''):345-351. ISSN 0065-6275.

Distribution and habitat

Plants in the genus ''Dianella'' occur in Africa, South-east Asia, the Pacific Islands including Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia. About half of the species are

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to Australia.Starting out with Natives, John Wriggley & Murray Fagg

Species list

The following is a list of ''Dianella'' species accepted by 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 plan ...

as at October 2020: * '' Dianella acutifolia'' Schlittler - New Caledonia * ''

Dianella adenanthera Dianella may refer to: * ''Dianella'' (beetle), a species and genus of beetle in the family Carabidae now known as ''Diamella'' * ''Dianella'' (gastropod), a genus of freshwater snails in the family Hydrobiidae * ''Dianella'' (plant), a genus of ...

'' (G.Forst.) R.J.F.Hend. - numerous Pacific Islands * '' Dianella amoena'' G.W.Carr & P.F.Horsfall - Tasmania, Victoria * '' Dianella atraxis'' R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland * '' Dianella bambusifolia'' Hallier f. - Queensland, New Guinea * '' Dianella brevicaulis'' (Ostenf.) G.W.Carr & P.F.Horsfall - southern Australia * ''

Dianella brevipedunculata ''Dianella brevipedunculata'' is a species of flax lily native to Eastern Australia. It is known as the blue flax lily. The species grows up to half a meter in height, with leaves up to 1 meter in length. Roots are fibrous, and the flowers are p ...

'' R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland * '' Dianella caerulea'' Sims - New Guinea, eastern Australia ** ''Dianella caerulea'' var. ''aquilonia'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella caerulea'' var. ''assera'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella caerulea'' Sims var. ''caerulea'' ** ''Dianella caerulea'' var. ''cinerascans'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella caerulea'' var. ''petasmatodes'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella caerulea'' var. ''producta'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella caerulea'' var. ''protensa'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella caerulea'' var. ''vannata'' R.J.F.Hend. * '' Dianella callicarpa'' G.W.Carr & P.F.Horsfall - Victoria * ''

Dianella carolinensis Dianella may refer to: * ''Dianella'' (beetle), a species and genus of beetle in the family Carabidae now known as ''Diamella'' * ''Dianella'' (gastropod), a genus of freshwater snails in the family Hydrobiidae * ''Dianella'' (plant), a genus of ...

'' Lauterb. - Micronesia * '' Dianella congesta'' R.Br. - Queensland, New South Wales * '' Dianella crinoides'' R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland, New South Wales * '' Dianella daenikeri'' Schlittler - New Caledonia * ''

Dianella dentata Dianella may refer to: * ''Dianella'' (beetle), a species and genus of beetle in the family Carabidae now known as ''Diamella'' * ''Dianella'' (gastropod), a genus of freshwater snails in the family Hydrobiidae * ''Dianella'' (plant), a genus of ...

'' Schlittler - southeastern China * '' Dianella ensifolia'' (L.) DC. (syn. ''D. ensata'') Chimanimani Mountains of southern Africa; Indian Subcontinent, China, Madagascar, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Japan, islands in Indian Ocean * '' Dianella fruticans'' R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland * '' Dianella haematica'' Heenan & de Lange - North Island of New Zealand * '' Dianella incollata'' R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland * ''

Dianella intermedia ''Dianella intermedia'', is a perennial herb of the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, found in the Australian territories of Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. It was first described by Stephan Endlicher in 1833. It grows to ...

'' Endl. - Norfolk Island of Australia * '' Dianella javanica'' (Blume) Kunth - Southeast Asia, Papuasia * '' Dianella latissima'' Heenan & de Lange - North Island of New Zealand * '' Dianella longifolia'' R.Br. - widespread in Australia ** ''Dianella longifolia'' var. ''fragrans'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella longifolia'' var. ''grandis'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella longifolia'' R.Br. var. ''longifolia'' ** ''Dianella longifolia'' var. ''stenophylla'' Domin ** ''Dianella longifolia'' var. ''stupata'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella longifolia'' var. ''surculosa'' R.J.F.Hend. * '' Dianella monophylla'' Hallier f. - New Guinea * '' Dianella nervosa'' R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland, New South Wales * ''

Dianella nigra ''Dianella nigra'', (turutu in Māori, New Zealand blueberry or ink berry) is a perennial herb of the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, found in New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the so ...

'' Colenso - North + South Islands of New Zealand * '' Dianella odorata'' Blume - Maluku, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Queensland, Northern Territory * '' Dianella pavopennacea'' R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland ** ''Dianella pavopennacea'' var. ''major'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella pavopennacea'' R.J.F.Hend. var. ''pavopennacea'' ** ''Dianella pavopennacea'' var. ''robusta'' R.J.F.Hend. * '' Dianella pendula'' Schlittler - îles Loyauté of New Caledonia * '' Dianella plicata'' Schlittler - New Caledonia * '' Dianella porracea'' (R.J.F.Hend.) Horsfall & G.W.Carr - Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia * '' Dianella prunina'' R.J.F.Hend. - New South Wales * ''

Dianella rara Dianella may refer to: * ''Dianella'' (beetle), a species and genus of beetle in the family Carabidae now known as ''Diamella'' * ''Dianella'' (gastropod), a genus of freshwater snails in the family Hydrobiidae * ''Dianella'' (plant), a genus of ...

'' R.Br. - Queensland * '' Dianella revoluta'' R.Br. - widespread in Australia ** ''Dianella revoluta'' var. ''divaricata'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella revoluta'' var. ''minor'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella revoluta'' (R.Br.) R.J.F.Hend.var. ''revoluta'' ** ''Dianella revoluta'' var. ''tenuis'' R.J.F.Hend. ** ''Dianella revoluta'' var. ''vinosa'' R.J.F.Hend. * '' Dianella saffordiana'' Fosberg & Sachet - Guam * '' Dianella sandwicensis'' Hook. & Arn. - New Caledonia, Hawaiian Islands, Marquesas * '' Dianella serrulata'' Hallier f. - Queensland, New Guinea * '' Dianella stipitata'' Schlittler - New Caledonia * '' Dianella tarda'' Horsfall & G.W.Carr - New South Wales, Victoria * ''

Dianella tasmanica ''Dianella tasmanica'', commonly known as the Tasman flax-lily or Tasmanian flax-lily is a herbaceous strappy perennial herb of the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, found in southeastern Australia including Tasmania. It has lea ...

'' Hook.f. - Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales * '' Dianella tenuissima'' G.W.Carr - New South Wales

Uses

Several species of ''Dianella'' are grown for their attractive foliage and shiny, blue to purple berries.

Anthony Huxley Anthony Julian Huxley (2 December 1920 – 26 December 1992) was a British botanist. He edited '' Amateur Gardening'' from 1967 to 1971, and was vice-president of the Royal Horticultural Society in 1991. He was the son of Julian Huxley. He was ...

, Mark Griffiths, and Margot Levy (1992). ''The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening''. The Macmillan Press, Limited: London. The Stockton Press: New York. (set). Reports of the edibility of the fruit range from very poisonous to sweet and nutty (such as ''D. caerulea''), and the beach flax lily (''D. congesta'') is reportedly the best-tasting.Wild food plants of Australia, Tim Low The leaves are used to weave dillies and baskets by Indigenous Australians.

References

External links

Australian plants online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dianella (Plant) Asphodelaceae genera