Blandfordia punicea

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tasmanian Christmas Bell

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Liliopsida
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Blandfordiaceae
Genus:	Blandfordia
Species:	B. punicea

Binomial name

Blandfordia punicea
(Labill.) Sweet

Synonyms

Aletris punicea Labill.
Blandfordia backhousii Lindl. nom. inval.
Blandfordia grandiflora var. backhousii Hook.f.
Blandfordia grandiflora var. intermedia (Herb.) Baker
Blandfordia grandiflora var. marginata (Herb.) Hook.f.
Blandfordia marginata Herb.

Blandfordia punicea, commonly known as Tasmanian Christmas Bell, is a species of flowering plant which is native to western Tasmania in Australia.

The bell-shaped flowers are red with yellow tips and are about 4 cm long. They occur in a terminal raceme on a stalk up to 1 metre in height and are usually very prominent in their native habitat, often rising above ground-level vegetation between mid-spring and early autumn. The leaves, which are strap-like and slightly serrated on the edges, range between 15 and 45 cm in length.

An Australian 50c stamp depicting the species was issued on February 13, 2007.

[edit] References

Cochrane, G.R., Fuhrer, B.A., Rotherdam, E.M., Simmons, J.& M. and Willis, J.H. (1980) Flowers and Plants of Victoria and Tasmania , A.H. & A.W. Reed, Sydney.
Blandfordia punicea (Labill.) Sweet. Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
Australian Stamp Bulletin No. 286 January - March 2007.