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Volume III (1980) - Flora of New Zealand Adventive Cyperaceous, Petalous & Spathaceous Monocotyledons
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Watsonia Mill.

WATSONIA Miller

Robust summer-green perennial. Corm large, rotund to flattened, with coarsely fibrous tunic, fibres linear or reticulate. Leaves both basal and cauline, broadly ensiform, distichous, equitant, usually tough and fibrous. Inflorescence spicate or shortly branched. Flowers many, large, distichous, usually zygomorphic, white, pink, mauve or red, each within 2 stiff striate spathe-valves with variable apices; tube curved, narrow-cylindric below, broadly or narrowly funnel-shaped above; lobes subequal, spreading, usually < tube. Stamens usually asymmetric. Style-branches 3, shortly bifid. Capsule oblong. Seeds many, winged. Spp. 60-70 of S. Africa and 1 from Madagascar. Adventive spp. 4.

Key

1
Cormils many in axils of upper cauline leaves and bracts
2. *bulbillifera
Cormils absent from upper cauline leaves and bracts
2
2
Inflorescence profusely branched, branches spreading; flowers pure white
1. *ardernei
Inflorescence simple, or sparingly branched, or with many appressed branches; flowers pink, mauve, or red, rarely cream or white
3
3
Flowers 6-10 cm long; stamens arched under uppermost perianth-lobe, staminodia not formed
4 *meriana
Flowers ± 3 cm long; stamens not arched, staminodia alternating with filaments at their point of insertion on perianth-tube
3. *marginata

Watsonia

It is not known to whatsp. Kirk' s record (T.N.Z.I. 3, 1871, 160) for "Auckland Isthmus and Takapuna District" refers.

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