Blueberry lily facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blueberry lily |
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The Dianella revoluta, also known as the blueberry lily or blue flax-lily, is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the Asphodelaceae family. This plant is endemic to Australia, meaning it's only found there. You can find it growing in many different parts of the country.
This plant is a perennial herb, which means it's a plant that lives for many years and doesn't have a woody stem. It grows in clumps, with leaves that look like grass. Its flowers are usually blue or violet. Each flower has six tepals (flower parts that look like both petals and sepals). It also has stamens, which are the parts that hold pollen. These stamens have bright yellow filaments and dark brown to almost black anthers.
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What Does It Look Like?
The blueberry lily grows in clumps, with short stems that are less than 15 centimeters (about 6 inches) long. Sometimes the clumps are close together, and sometimes they are up to 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) apart. Its leaves are folded lengthwise, like a blade of grass. They can be quite long, from 15 to 85 centimeters (about 6 to 33 inches) and 3 to 23 millimeters (about 0.1 to 0.9 inches) wide.
The flowers are a lovely blue to violet color. They grow in groups of two to nine flowers. Each flower is about 10 to 20 millimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) wide. They sit on a small stalk called a pedicel, which is 5 to 35 millimeters (0.2 to 1.4 inches) long. The three sepals (outer flower parts) are 5.5 to 10 millimeters long. The petals are 5.2 to 9.5 millimeters long.
The bright yellow parts inside the flower, called stamen filaments, are 0.6 to 2.3 millimeters long. The anthers, which hold the pollen, are 2.5 to 4.5 millimeters long and can be pale brown to almost black. This plant usually flowers from spring to early summer. After flowering, it produces a blue to purple berry (a small fruit) that is 4 to 10 millimeters long.
How It Was Named
The Dianella revoluta was first officially described and named in 1810. This was done by a famous botanist named Robert Brown. He wrote about it in his book called Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen.
Scientists recognize different types or "varieties" of Dianella revoluta. These varieties have slight differences, but they are all part of the same species.
Where It Grows
The blueberry lily is very common and can be found in many places across Australia. It grows in all Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory. However, it does not grow in the Northern Territory. This plant can live in many different kinds of places, as long as they are not too wet or too dry.
What It's Used For
People have reported that the berries of the Dianella revoluta plant are safe to eat.
Cultural Connection
The town of Dianella, Western Australia was actually named after this plant! Before the area was developed with houses in the 1960s, there were many blueberry lilies growing there.
