Dietes

[ChrisB]

Hi, I've just been given the plant below to split and grow on.  Came labelled Dietes robinsoniana.  The habit is what has us puzzled though, others have flowers that grow on bog standard stems, this one seems to have a whole new plant trying to grow at the end along with the flower.  Does anyone else grow it. Sorry flower is now gone, but we think it was a sort of purplish white colour.

[ChrisB]

Sorry folks, wrong picture attached.  Here is the correct one.

[ChrisB]

Third time lucky.  Forgot to save it in the required format.  This one should fit on page.

[Paul T]

Chris,

If that flower picture youv'e attached is NOT correct, and the flower is blue/purple and white then it is most likely Neomarica, either N. gracilis or N. northiana.  They're called "walking iris" as they produce keiki on their flowering stems, which then bend down and grow roots etc, so the plant "walks" via it's flowering stems and slowly colonises an area.  The flowers have 3 larger white petals and 3 smaller brown and blue curled petals in the centre.  Not sure I still have a photo of mine or not, but I am hoping there are flowers coming which I can photograph.  They last for such a short time and I usually find them curled up rather than open.  Sometimes the stem produces it's plantlet without ever producing a flower.

At least that gives you a couple of names to look up.

[ChrisB]

Hi Paul,

I think you may be right actually.  And your comments about how briefly they flower also fits, my friend said it flowered and was gone before you could say 'Jack Robinson' so perhaps this is what the plant is, rather than a dietes.  Thanks for your help!

[Lesley Cox]

Dietes (syn Moraea) robinsoniana is, I think, the Lord Howe Island Wedding Iris, named, I suppose, for it's large, snow white flowers and possibly used in laies (how do you spell that word, for the flower garlands Pacific Islanders put around their necks?) on festive occasions. It grows to well over 2 metres in flower and I doubt if it is the plant in your picture Chris. It is also very tender, even 1 or 2 degrees of frost killing it. I had a few plants from a top-of-the-North Island friend but they didn't survive the first winter, even in my tunnel house.