Dietes grandiflora

Dietes grandiflora, commonly the large wild iris, the large white forest 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 Iris and Moraea genera.

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).