Blandfordia punicea

Illustration

The Christmas Bell ( Blandfordia punicea ) (English Christmas Bell) is one of four species of the genus Blandfordia, the only genus of the family of Blandfordiaceae within the order of asparagus -like ( Asparagales ). She comes from Tasmania and thrives on nutrient-poor sandy soils and acidic peat soils.

Description of the plant

The Christmas bell is a perennial, herbaceous plant with an underground rhizome and long, narrow grassy leaves.

In a loose racemose inflorescence hanging single flowers are up to 20, each on a short pedicel arranged. The bright red (Latin puniceus " pomegranate colored" ), lined yellow at the end, hanging, glöckenförmigen flowers are about 3 inches long. The six strong tubular fused, equal multiform bloom ( tepals ) run out in short corolla lobes at the end.

As the name implies, it blooms around Christmas time and can occur in large numbers, so that the soil is well covered out of her red flowers. The pollination is done by nectar -seeking birds. It forms capsule fruits.

System

This species was first described in 1805 as Aletris punicea of Jacques Julien de Houtou Labillardiere in novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen, 1 ( 11), p 85, Table 111. In the genus Blandfordia it was placed in 1830 as Blandfordia punicea by Robert Sweet in Sweet's Hortus Britannicus, 2nd edition, p 517. Other synonyms are: Blandfordia grandiflora var marginata ( Herb. ) Hook.f., Blandfordia grandiflora var backhousii orth var Hook.f., Blandfordia marginata Herb, Blandfordia backhousii orth var Lindl.. nom. inval ..