Dietes Bicolor - Indigenous South African Bulb - 10 Seeds

Dietes is a genus of rhizomatous plants of the family Iridaceae. Common names include Fortnight lily, African iris, Morea or Moraea iris, Japanese iris and Butterfly iris, each of which may be used differently in different regions for one or more of the four species within the genus. Most species are native to southern Africa, with one (Dietes robinsoniana) native to Lord Howe Island off the coast of Australia.

Dietes bicolor is a clump-forming rhozomatous perennial plant with long sword-like pale-green leaves, growing from multiple fans at the base of the clump. This species belongs to the Iridaceae (Iris) family. It can form large clumps if left undisturbed for years. The blooms are yellow with three dark purple spots, each surrounded by an orange outline, and are followed by a capsule that may bend the flower stalks to the ground. The leaves of Dietes bicolor are narrower than those of Dietes grandiflora and Dietes iridioides, and tend to arch more.

USDA Zone - 8

Season to Sow - Spring

Photos with credit to the late Rod and Rachel Saunders, eminent experts on South African indigenous flora.