Common name: Giant Lily, Gymea Lily
Doryanthes excelsa CorrĂȘa APNI*
Description: Giant rosette plant.
Basal leaves numerous, sword-shaped, to 2.5 m long and 10 cm wide, glabrous.
Scape to 5 m high, bearing numerous much shorter leaves to 30 cm long; inflorescence many-flowered, globose, to 70 cm diam.; bracts reddish. Flowers pinkish red (paler within) or rarely white, 10–16 cm long. Tepals 6–12 cm long, ± recurved at maturity. Anthers 27–38 mm long, green-yellow; filaments to twice as long as anthers.
Capsule ellipsoid to ovoid, 7–10 cm long, red-brown at maturity; seeds 15–23 mm long.
Flowering: spring.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in dry sclerophyll forest and woodland on sandstone and partly clay soil, from Karuah to Mt Keira, with 3 isolated northern populations near Glenreagh and northwest of Corindi (NC).
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC
Text by K. L. Wilson (1993); edited KL Wilson (Jan 2018) 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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