Calostemma purpureum

Calostemma purpureum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:	Amaryllidoideae
Genus:	Calostemma
Species:	C. purpureum
Binomial name
Calostemma purpureum R.Br[1]
Synonyms
Calostemma lutea

Calostemma purpureum, known by its common name of Garland Lily, is a long-lived perennial flowering plant that is native to South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Related to the common daffodil, Garland Lilies were once common in large colonies in grassy areas, in particular the plain on which the city of Adelaide now stands. Due to urbanisation and grazing, the Garland Lily is now rare, only occurring in small pockets in parks on the outskirts of the city.^[2]

Leaves form from the bulb during winter, and die off during spring. The plant flowers during summer when there are no leaves. Calostemma purpureum bursts into flower in the midst of the heat of an Australian summer, when most other plants are not flowering. The flowers are purple-pink in colour forming in an umbel of 5-10 showy flowers. They appear on a stalk around 30 centimetres long. The flowers are replaced in autumn by clusters of large, berry-like seeds. The seeds may germinate while still on the plant. They germinate very readily but it may take three or four years before the new plant first flowers.^[3]

References

1. "Calostemma purpureum". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
2. "The Native Plants of Adelaide". Department for Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
3. "Plants of the Adelaide plains and hills". Library of South Australia. Retrieved 21 March 2011.