Aristea ecklonii
Common name
aristea
Family
Iridaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
ARIECK
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Shrubland, open and disturbed forest (esp Kauri) herbfields, bush margins, gumland, coastline, rocky and bare land, especially in warm areas.
Features
Evergreen, iris-like perennial to 45 cm tall. Rhizomes woody, leaves linear, to 40 x 1 cm, sword-shaped, folded in reddish-purple-based fans, mostly basal but few on the stem. Stem flattened, slightly winged. Flowers 2 cm diameter, deep blue, in many clusters of 5-7 loose panicles, very fragile, opening briefly in bright sunlight. Seed capsule 2 cm long, grooved; seeds flat, dark red-brown.
Similar taxa
The small 3-petalled blue flowers on this iris-like plant are quite distinctive.
Flowering
October
Flower colours
Blue
Year naturalised
1975
Origin
trop & S Africa
National Pest Plant Accord species
This plant is listed in the 2020 National Pest Plant Accord. The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) is an agreement to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest plants where either formal or casual horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the plant in New Zealand. For up to date information and an electronic copy of the 2020 Pest Plant Accord manual (including plant information and images) visit the MPI website.
Reason For Introduction
Accidental
Life Cycle Comments
Perennial
Reproduction
Spreads by seed.
Dispersal
People, wind, water.