''Aristea ecklonii'' (common names: blue flies, blue stars, blue-eyed iris, blue corn-lilyFloridata entry
/ref>) is a plant species in the

Iridaceae Iridaceae () is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the Iris (plant), irises. It has a nearly global distribution, with 69 accepted genera with a total of about 2500 species. It includes a number of economically importan ...

, first described in 1866. It is native to central and southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

north to

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The plant is an evergreen perennial with small, blue flowers, growing in clumps with upright, grass-like leaves 15–18 in (38–46 cm) in height. It is an invasive species in high mountain forests of Sri Lanka near Nuwara Eliya and Horton Plains, in New Zealand where it is listed as a pest species on the NPPA banned list, and also Australia.Australian Rainforest Conservation Society

Retrieved 2016-06-20.

References

Iridaceae Flora of Africa Invasive plant species in Sri Lanka Plants described in 1866 {{Iridaceae-stub