Herbácea grande que cresce em rosetas. Folhas glabras, lanceoladas com 3 m de comprimento e 20 cm de largura. Inflorescência até 5 m de comprimento, com folhas até 30 cm de comprimento; cabeça floral até 120 cm de comprimento, com até 350 flores. Flores vermelhas ou castanho-avermelhadas, 6-12 cm de diametro, viradas para cima ou ligeiramente para os lados. Fruto ovóide com 7-9 cm de comprimento, as sementes têm 15-22 mm de comprimento. As flores ocorrem no fim do verão até ao outono.Ocorre no sudeste de Queensland e no nordeste de New South Wales em afloramentos rochosos, expostos e em solos inférteis ou rochosos. Surge nas banda de vegetação ao longo do topo das arribas ou em socalcos nas vertentes rochosas, em charnecas de montanha próximas da floresta subtropical, floresta temperada ou eucaliptal húmido.
Os exemplares de Monserrate florescem em simultâneo em anos particulares como 2008, sendo certamente regulados pela variação meteorológica de ano para ano.
Traduzido e adaptado de: http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au
Doryanthes palmeri W.Hill ex Benth.
Giant Spear Lily
Large herbaceous plant that grows in a rosette. Leaves are hairless, sword–shaped, 3 m long and 20 cm wide. Flowering stalk up to 5 m high, bearing shorter leaves to 30 cm long, flower head up to 120 cm long bearing up to 350 flowers. Flowers are red or reddish–brown, 6–12 cm long, and upright to slightly spreading. The fruit is egg-shaped and 7–9 cm long, seeds are 15–22 mm long. Flowers occur in late summer to autumn.
Giant Spear Lily occurs in southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales on exposed rocky outcrops on infertile soils or on bare rock. It grows in a narrow band of vegetation along the cliff-tops and on steep cliff-faces or rocky ledges in montane heath next to subtropical rainforest, warm temperate rainforest or wet eucalypt forest.
The specimens at Monserrate produce the flower stalks simultaneously in specific years like 2008, being regulated by the meteorologic variations from year to year.
Adapted by from: http://www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au
Wow I am surprise that you can get this plant in Portugal. This is indeed not commonly encountered - but plants from S. Qlds do not tend to do well at my climate.
ResponderEliminarI was told that there are two tufs here, this one at Monserrate and another in the Botanical Garden of Coimbra (on the outside). Not the best plant for our conditions but still possible to have if well chosen the location.
ResponderEliminarThe trees of the montane zone are lower ( < 25 m) and thinner than the ones of the submontane zone. Below 800 m on the inland side of the coastal mountain ranges, the montane rainforest often merges into Araucaria forest (floresta ombrófila mista).
ResponderEliminarmontane rainforest