Botanical name
Watsonia stenosiphonFamily
IridaceaeCommon Name
Kanolpypie, Orange WatsoniaDescription
Cormous geophyte, dainty, slender up to 50cm. Leaves are softish, about half as long as the plant, 5-12mm wide with inconspicuous veins. Unbranched flowering stems bear stem-leaves which may have cormlets in their axils. Flowers in elongate spikes, bright orange and arising upright out of stem-clasping bracts; perianth tube 35mm long, elongate, slender throughout with wide-spreading lobes.
Blooms more profusely after fire.
Butterflies are the most likely pollinators because of the orange colour and slender perianth tube.
Greek: stenos = narrow, straight, siphon = a reed, straw, any tube; referring to the slender, elongate perianth tube of this species.
Habitat
Sandy coastal flats
Flower Date
September to November