Dietes grandiflora

Dietes grandiflora, commonly the large wild iris or the fairy iris, is a rhizomatous, evergreen perennial reaching about 1,5 m in height. Dietes refers to the plant’s dual resemblance links to both the genera of Iris and Moraea.

The plant grows long, fibrous, sword-shaped leaves that are dark green, arranged in multiple fan shapes, expanding to a large clump. Leaf dimensions are about 1 m long and 15 mm wide.

The species distribution is near the coast in the Eastern Cape and the southerly coastal parts of KwaZulu-Natal.

The habitat is along the margins of forests, among evergreen scrub and thickets, also near streams. The habitat population is deemed of least concern early in the twenty first century.

The species has earned an esteemed position in South African gardens built upon characteristics like hardiness, ease of cultivation, requiring little attention, and a profusion of attractive flowers in a longish season. Full sun to dappled shade and limited watering will suit, the plants coping in a variety of soil types (Manning, 2009; Pooley, 1998; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).