Dierama
Encyclopedia
Dierama is a genus in the Iridaceae
. Its common names
are not stably established, but various species are loosely known by names such as as Fairy's Fishing Rods, Fairy's Wands, Fairy Bells, Wedding Bells, Hairbells, Harebells. These refer to the bell-shaped flowers on slender scapes
that bend gracefully under the weight of the inflorescence
s and nod in the wind. The various species and cultivar
s produce flowers in ranges of colors from white through dark red, some of them with spots of yellow or blue.
Dierama is a genus
in the family
Iridaceae
. Members of the genus are evergreen geophytes growing from corm
s that often form chains underground in a manner similar to several other Iridaceae such as Crocosmia
. The corms are relatively large, flattened ovoids in shape, with tough, fibrous tunics. A corm bears several leaves in an erect bunch; the leaves are linear, slender, evergreen, flat, fibrous and tough. The scapes
are slender and wiry, branched, more or less bent at the apex by the weight of the inflorescences they bear; the resulting effect suggested some of the common names. Each inflorescence is in the form of a lax spike. The outer bract at the base of each flower is dry and papery, often lacerate near its apex, pale with brown streaks; the inner bract is similar but smaller.
The perianth is pendulous, campanulate and actinomorphic; tube short, infundibuliform; lobes enclose the stamens and style, sometimes with their tips recurved. The stamens are erect and placed symmetrically. The ovary
is small and the style
slender, with three short recurved branches. The fruit capsule is ovoid, somewhat shortened, and firm-walled. There are few seeds, hard, round, and shiny.
word dierama, meaning "funnel", and alludes to the shape of the flower.
zones, though many species have a partly dormant season in which their leaves show little sign of activity. However, this does not mean that they should be treated like some related garden geophytes such as say, many of the Iridaceae, including Crocosmia, deciduous Watsonia
s and Gladoli
; even in their partial dormancy their roots and leaves remain alive at a low level of activity and accordingly the corms should not be removed from the soil and dried out in sheds, because their roots will die, and so will the bulbs if they are not returned to the soil soon enough. The corm
s should not be seen as an over-wintering stage, though their partial dormancy is the most convenient time for transplantation and propagation by splitting. If they are grown in regions of heavy frost or moderate snow, they are best kept in the soil under straw in winter, or in frigid zones they may be planted in pots that can be brought into shelters in winter.
Iridaceae
The Iris family or Iridaceae is a family of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants included in the monocot order Asparagales, taking its name from the genus Iris. Almost worldwide in distribution and one of the most important families in horticulture, it includes more than 2000 species...
. Its common names
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
are not stably established, but various species are loosely known by names such as as Fairy's Fishing Rods, Fairy's Wands, Fairy Bells, Wedding Bells, Hairbells, Harebells. These refer to the bell-shaped flowers on slender scapes
Scape (botany)
In botany, scapes are leafless flowering stems that rise from the ground. Scapes can have a single flower or many flowers, depending on the species....
that bend gracefully under the weight of the inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s and nod in the wind. The various species and cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s produce flowers in ranges of colors from white through dark red, some of them with spots of yellow or blue.
The genus Dierama
Dyer cites the following authorities for the description of Dierama: K. Koch in Ind. Sem. Hort. Berol. App. 10 (1854); Bak. in FC. 6 86 (1896); in J. Roy. Hort. Soc. 54 : 193 (1929)Dierama is a genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
in the family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
Iridaceae
Iridaceae
The Iris family or Iridaceae is a family of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants included in the monocot order Asparagales, taking its name from the genus Iris. Almost worldwide in distribution and one of the most important families in horticulture, it includes more than 2000 species...
. Members of the genus are evergreen geophytes growing from corm
Corm
A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
s that often form chains underground in a manner similar to several other Iridaceae such as Crocosmia
Crocosmia
Crocosmia is a small perennial genus in the iris family Iridaceae, native to the grasslands of Cape Floristic Region, South Africa.They can be evergreen or deciduous perennial herbs, that grow from basal underground corms. The basal, alternate leaves are cauline and distichous...
. The corms are relatively large, flattened ovoids in shape, with tough, fibrous tunics. A corm bears several leaves in an erect bunch; the leaves are linear, slender, evergreen, flat, fibrous and tough. The scapes
Scape (botany)
In botany, scapes are leafless flowering stems that rise from the ground. Scapes can have a single flower or many flowers, depending on the species....
are slender and wiry, branched, more or less bent at the apex by the weight of the inflorescences they bear; the resulting effect suggested some of the common names. Each inflorescence is in the form of a lax spike. The outer bract at the base of each flower is dry and papery, often lacerate near its apex, pale with brown streaks; the inner bract is similar but smaller.
The perianth is pendulous, campanulate and actinomorphic; tube short, infundibuliform; lobes enclose the stamens and style, sometimes with their tips recurved. The stamens are erect and placed symmetrically. The ovary
Ovary (plants)
In the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the pistil which holds the ovule and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the base of the petals and sepals...
is small and the style
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
slender, with three short recurved branches. The fruit capsule is ovoid, somewhat shortened, and firm-walled. There are few seeds, hard, round, and shiny.
Etymology
The genus name is derived from the GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word dierama, meaning "funnel", and alludes to the shape of the flower.
Distribution and conservation status
The genus includes about 50 species that occur in various, mainly Eastern regions in Africa, ranging from central African highlands to the Cape. In some countries, such as South Africa, all the indigenous species, such as Dierama pendulum are protected, and their survival is not of urgent concern; fortunately there seems to be little interest in the genus for indigenous medicine, or other traditional uses, but population pressure might present threats to many species as more habitats are claimed for residential or agricultural purposes.Cultivation
Dieramas are effectively evergreen, and retain some foliage throughout most winters in temperateTemperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
zones, though many species have a partly dormant season in which their leaves show little sign of activity. However, this does not mean that they should be treated like some related garden geophytes such as say, many of the Iridaceae, including Crocosmia, deciduous Watsonia
Watsonia
Watsonia can refer to:* Watsonia , a genus of flowering plants in the iris family.* Watsonia , a botanical journal .* Watsonia, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia....
s and Gladoli
Gladiolus
Gladiolus is a genus of perennial bulbous flowering plants in the iris family...
; even in their partial dormancy their roots and leaves remain alive at a low level of activity and accordingly the corms should not be removed from the soil and dried out in sheds, because their roots will die, and so will the bulbs if they are not returned to the soil soon enough. The corm
Corm
A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
s should not be seen as an over-wintering stage, though their partial dormancy is the most convenient time for transplantation and propagation by splitting. If they are grown in regions of heavy frost or moderate snow, they are best kept in the soil under straw in winter, or in frigid zones they may be planted in pots that can be brought into shelters in winter.
Species
The following list includes most of the known species, though several are open to discussion and more certainly await description:- Dierama adelphicum
- Dierama ambiguum
- Dierama argyreum
- Dierama atrum
- Dierama cooperi
- Dierama dissimile
- Dierama dracomontanum
- Dierama dubium
- Dierama elatum
- Dierama erectum
- Dierama floriferum
- Dierama formosum
- Dierama galpinii
- Dierama gracile
- Dierama grandiflorum
- Dierama igneum
- Dierama insigne
- Dierama jucundum
- Dierama latifolium
- Dierama luteoalbidum
- Dierama medium
- Dierama mobile
- Dierama mossii
- Dierama nebrownii
- Dierama nixonianum
- Dierama pallidum
- Dierama palustre
- Dierama pauciflorum
- Dierama pendulum
- Dierama pictum
- Dierama pulcherrimum
- Dierama pumilum
- Dierama reynoldsii
- Dierama robustum
- Dierama sertum
- Dierama trichorhizum
- Dierama tyrium
- Dierama tysonii