Common name: Christmas Bells
Blandfordia cunninghamii Lindl. APNI* 
Description: Tufted perennial herb.
Leaves to c. 1 m long; lamina flat with veins and midrib slightly raised, mostly 7–12 mm wide; margins ± hyaline and slightly revolute, smooth.
Scape to 80 cm long, to 10 mm diam.; inflorescence a contracted umbel-like raceme, 12–30-flowered; pedicels to c. 4.5 cm long, about as long as to much exceeding subtending bract. Perianth usually 3–6 cm long, red with yellow lobes; tube narrow-cylindrical in lower quarter to third but expanded abruptly and bell-shaped upwards, 2–3 cm wide at throat; lobes ovate, acute, to 12 mm long. Stamens attached below middle of perianth tube; free part of filament to c. 3.5 cm long; anther ± oblong or tapered slightly upwards, 4–5 mm long.
Capsule to c. 9 cm long including style; stipe to c. 4 cm long.
Flowering: summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in damp shallow sandy and peaty soils, often on sandstone cliff edges; chiefly in the Blue Mtns and Illawarra areas.
NSW subdivisions: CC, CT
Text by A. L. Quirico
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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