Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Subfamily: Iridoideae
Tribe: Sisyrinchieae
Genus: Sisyrinchium
Species: S. striatum
Binomial name: Sisyrinchium striatum
Synonyms: Bermudiana striata, Ferraria ochroleuca, Marica striata, Moraea sertula. Paneguia striata, Sisyrinchium libertioides, Sisyrinchium lutescens, Sisyrinchium reticulatum, Sisyrinchium sertiflorum, Sisyrinchium spicatum.
Common names: Satin flower, Argentine Satin Flower, Pale Yellow-eyed grass.
Sisyrinchium striatum is an evergreen perennial plant in the family Iridaceae. It is native to Argentina and Chile where it grows in alpine grasslands, open woods and meadows.
Sisyrinchium striatum can reach a height of 70–90 centimetres. It has an erect stem with a clump of grey-green sword-shaped alternate leaves that are > 2.5 cm wide. It develops multiple spikes that have multiple clusters of cup-shaped creamy white 1cm flowers with golden centres. Each flower has six tepals with longitudinal purple-brown stripes on the backsides. These stripes are faint on the upper surface. The flower clusters are all the way up the spike. Each flower opens only during the day, closing at dusk. The flower spike rises above the foliage. Sisyrinchium striatum blooms in New Zealand. They bloom in New Zealand from February to April. They naturalise easily and spread over time by creeping rootstocks forming large clumps.
Photographed at Tupare Gardens, New Plymouth, Taranaki.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
