Dietes bicolor

(Steud.) Sweet ex Klatt

Yellow wild iris

Iridaceae Edible: Bulb 9,700 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Dietes bicolor, the African iris, butterfly flag, fortnight lily, or peacock flower, is a clump-forming rhizomatous perennial plant with long sword-like evergreen pale green leaves, growing from multiple fans at the base of the clump. This species belongs to the iris family Iridaceae. It can form large clumps if left undisturbed for years. It is commonly cultivated in its native South Africa, where it is often used in public gardens, beautification of commercial premises and along roadsides. It is also cultivated in mild temperate zones elsewhere. The blooms, appearing in spring and summer, are pale yellow with three dark purple spots, which may be so dark as to appear black. Each is surrounded by an orange outline. They are followed by a capsule that may bend the flower stalks to the ground. Ripe seeds (dark brown in colour) are dispersed when the capsule dries and splits. The leaves of Dietes bicolor are narrower than those of Dietes grandiflora and Dietes iridioides, and tend to arch more.

Description

A herb that has a bulb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 80 cm high and spreads 1 m wide. The leaves are narrow and sword shaped. The flowers are like iris flowers and pale yellow with brown blotches. The fruit is a club shaped capsule.

Edible Uses

The bulbs are eaten.

Distribution

It can grow in temperate or tropical places. It can grow in full sun or light shade. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.

Where It Grows

Africa, Australia, South Africa*, Southern Africa,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed or by division of the underground stem.

Synonyms

Iris bicolor Lindl. [Illegitimate]Moraea bicolor Steud.

References (3)

Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 67
Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
Youngblood, D., 2004, Identification and Quantification of Edible Plant Foods in the Upper (Nama) Karoo, South Africa. Economic Botany 58 (Supplement) :S43-S65