Dilatris

Dilatris is a genus of perennial herbs in the Haemodoraceae or bloodroot family. The plants grow from reddish, woody rhizomes. The hairy flower stem is longer than the leaves. There are a few lance-shaped, stalkless bracts spaced along it. The rigid, ribbed and hairless leaves are linear to oblong, emerging in a fan-shape (or distichous), edges facing the stem.

The inflorescences are corymbs, racemes or panicles, the flower stems helix-like, straightening as they develop. The lowest flowers open first. The six persistent perianth segments of each flower grow in two whorls of three. They are hairier on the outside, the outer whorl hairier than the inner one and narrower. Perianth colours are bluish mauve, orange or yellow.

There are three stamens per flower, one with a larger anther on a shorter filament. The inferior ovary bears one ovule in each of three locules, the style thread-like, curving away from the stamens, about as long as them. The minute stigma is pointed.

The fruit is a capsule that opens from the top. The about shield-shaped seeds are flat or concave on one side, convex on the other.

There are four Dilatris species, all occurring in the Western Cape fynbos.

The plant in picture is Dilatris pillansii (Leistner, (Ed.) 2000; Manning, 2000; Wikipedia).