''Caesia parviflora'', the pale grass lily, is a species of flowering plant in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Asphodelaceae, subfamily
Hemerocallidoideae, native to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, being found in
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
,
Victoria,
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
and
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
.
This is a small plant up to 50 centimeters tall, found in heath, woodland and dry sclerophyll forest, usually near grasses. It often grows on
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
-based soils. The lily-like flower is about 1.2 centimeters wide and has three grey or purple stripes on each petal. Flowering occurs in spring and summer.
The original specimen was collected in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, dated 16 October 1803. In 1810, the species appeared in ''
Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae'', authored by the prolific Scottish botanist,
Robert Brown. The generic name honours
Federico Cesi, a 17th-century Italian naturalist. The specific epithet ''parviflora'' translates to "small flowered".
At least three subspecies are recognised:
* ''Caesia parviflora'' var. ''parviflora'', with white flowers
* ''Caesia parviflora'' var. ''vittata'', with blue flowers
* ''Caesia parviflora'' var. ''minor'', less than 20 cm tall, with blue or white flowers. This subspecies is considered
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
.
References
External links
''Caesia parviflora'' occurrence datafrom
Australasian Virtual Herbarium
The ''Australasian Virtual Herbarium'' (AVH) is an online resource that allows access to plant specimen data held by various Australian and New Zealand herbaria. It is part of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), and was formed by the amalgamat ...
Flora of Australia
Hemerocallidoideae
Plants described in 1810
Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)
{{Asphodelaceae-stub