Diplarrena facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Diplarrena |
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| Diplarrena moraea | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Subfamily: | Iridoideae |
| Tribe: | Diplarreneae Goldblatt |
| Genus: | Diplarrena Labill. |
| Type species | |
| Diplarrena moraea Labillardière
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| Species | |
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Diplarrena moraea |
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Diplarrena is a small group of flowering plants. They belong to the Iridaceae family, which also includes irises. These plants are special because they are only found in Australia. There are just two known types, or species, of Diplarrena plants.
What's in a Name?
The name Diplarrena comes from two ancient Greek words. Diploos means "double," and arren means "male." This name was chosen because these plants have only two working stamens. Stamens are the male parts of a flower that produce pollen. Most other plants in the Iris family have three stamens. So, having only two makes Diplarrena unique! Sometimes, you might see the name spelled Diplarrhena, but that's a mistake that started a long time ago.
Plant Features
Diplarrena plants are like clumps of grass. They are perennial herbs, which means they live for more than two years. They grow from short underground stems called rhizomes.
- Leaves: Their leaves are long and thin, like blades of grass. They grow from the base of the plant and stay green all year round.
- Stems: The main stem stands up straight. It has a few smaller leaves that are not fully grown.
- Flowers: The flowers look a bit like irises. They usually appear one at a time from a green leaf-like structure called a spathe. Each flower has six white tepals. Tepals are like petals and sepals combined. The flowers are also zygomorphic, which means they have a special shape where you can only fold them in half one way to make both sides match. They also have a style, which is the female part of the flower, with two thin, thread-like branches.
Types of Diplarrena
There are two main species of Diplarrena:
- Diplarrena moraea
- This species is found in Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales.
- Its leaves can be up to 1 centimeter (about 0.4 inches) wide.
- The flowers are about 5 to 6 centimeters (2 to 2.4 inches) wide.
- The outer tepals have blunt tips and are 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters wide.
- The inner tepals often have purple streaks or veins and are yellowish at their tips.
- Diplarrena latifolia
- This species is found only in Tasmania.
- It is a larger plant, with leaves that are 1 to 2.2 centimeters (0.4 to 0.9 inches) wide.
- Its flowers are bigger, measuring 6 to 8 centimeters (2.4 to 3.1 inches) wide.
- The inner tepals of this species have strong purple veins and yellow tips.
- Some scientists think this species might just be a different version of D. moraea that grew in a specific area.
Garden Varieties
Gardeners have also created a special type of Diplarrena called 'Amethyst Fairy'. This plant has larger flowers with darker marks on its inner tepals, making it a beautiful choice for gardens.
See also
In Spanish: Diplarrena para niños
