Belamcanda chinensis (L.) DC.
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Authority
Britton, Nathaniel L. Flora Borinqueña.
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Family
Iridaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Frequently grown for ornament in gardens, this tall, perennial, herbaceous plant has locally become naturalized on hillsides and along roads in Porto Rico, spontaneous from seed, as also in Jamaica, Cuba, Martinique, and the eastern continental United States; it is a native of eastern Asia. The genus Belamcanda was established by the French botanist Adanson in 1763, and is monotypic, consisting of this species only; the name is East Indian. Belamcanda chinensis (Chinese) grows from short and stout root-stocks, with a stem sometimes a meter high, or higher, and is smooth throughout. The narrow, alternate, nearly upright, stalkless leaves are from 15 to 20 centimeters long, from 1 to 3 centimeters wide, equitant, and folded. The flowers are several or many, in small clusters, subtended by bracts similar to the leaves, but much shorter; the perianth is from 3 to 5 centimeters broad, its 6, oblong, blunt segments orange-yellow, mottled with crimson-purple spots; there are 3, separate stamens with narrow anthers; the ovary is 3-celled, with several ovules in each cavity; the slender style has 3, flattened branches. The fruit is a fig-shaped capsule, about 2.5 centimeters long, splitting into 3, recurved valves, leaving the central axis covered with nearly globular, fleshy, shining seeds, resembling a blackberry, whence the English name.
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Discussion
Maripos Blackberry Lily Iris Family Ixia chinensis Linnaeus, Species Plantarum 36. 1753. Pardanthus chinensis Ker, in Konig and Sims, Annals of Botany 1:247.1805 Belamcanda chinensis De Candolle, in Redouté las Liliaceae 3: plate 121. 1807. Gemningia chinenais Kuntze, Revisio Genera Plantarum 701. 1891.