Blue Mountains FloraMountain Devil Patersonia sericea Wollemi Pine

The species Patersonia sericea have two recognised variety Patersonia sericea and Patersonia sericea var. longifolia. With the common names of Purple Flag, Silky Purple Flag and Dwarf Purple Flag (the latter name referring to the var longifolia).

Purple Flag (Patersonia sericea), Blue Mountains NSW
Purple Flag (Patersonia sericea), Blue Mountains NSW

Endemic to eastern Australia, from north-eastern Victoria to south-eastern Queensland. It is found growing in open forest, woodland and grassland. Pictured here were growing in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales.

Purple Flag (Patersonia sericea), Blue Mountains NSW
Purple Flag (Patersonia sericea), Blue Mountains NSW

Patersonia sericea is a densely-tufted perennial herb, that has linear, sword-shaped leaves, broadly egg-shaped, with bluish-violet tepals and an oval capsule. It is a species in the Iris family Iridaceae.

Purple Flag (Patersonia sericea), Blue Mountains NSW
Purple Flag (Patersonia sericea), Blue Mountains NSW

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Phylum: Tracheophyta
  • Subphylum: Angiospermae
  • Class: Lilliopsida
  • Order: Asparagales
  • Family: Iridaceae
  • Subfamily: Nivenioideae
  • Genus: Patersonia
  • Species: Patersonia sericea
  • Variety:
    • Patersonia sericea
    • Patersonia sericea var. longifolia

Footnote & References

  1. Silky Purple Flag (Patersonia sericea), iNaturalistAU, https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/321203-Patersonia-sericea
  2. Patersonia sericea, Plants of South Eastern New South Wales, https://apps.lucidcentral.org/plants_se_nsw/text/entities/patersonia_sericea.htm
  3. Patersonia sericea R.Br., New South Wales Flora Online, PlantNET, https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Patersonia~sericea
  4. Patersonia sericea, Australian Native Plants Society (Australia), ANPSA, https://anpsa.org.au/plant_profiles/patersonia-sericea/

Blue Mountains FloraMountain Devil Patersonia sericea Wollemi Pine

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