Iridaceae
Aristea

Aristea nyikensis Baker

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1897: 281 (1897)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tanzania to S. Tropical Africa. It is a rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Iridaceae, P. Goldblatt. Flora Zambesiaca 12:4. 1993

Morphology General Habit
Plants 20-30 cm high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 5–8, the lower 3–5 basal and narrowly lanceolate, the upper 2–3 cauline and nearly as large, linear, 4–6(8) mm wide, about two-thirds as long as the stem, fairly rigid, few-veined.
Morphology Stem
Stem bearing 2–3 leaves, slightly compressed, simple or 1 –2-branched.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flower clusters several per axis in a spicate arrangement, sessile except the terminal cluster, each (2)4-flowered; spathes and bracts scarious, pale and shiny, 7–8 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, the margins more or less entire. Flowers deep-blue, more or less sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal
Tepals c. 10 × 6 mm, obovate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments 3.5 mm long, anthers 1.8 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style c. 5 mm long, 3-lobed apically.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsules c. 7 mm long, ellipsoid-ovoid, on stalks up to 5 mm long.
[FZ]

Iridaceae, Peter Goldblatt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1996

Morphology General Habit
Plants 20-30 cm. high.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 5-8, the lower 3-5 basal, narrowly lanceolate, upper 2-3 cauline and nearly as large, linear, 4-6(-8) mm. wide, ± 2/3 as long as the stem, fairly rigid, few-veined.
Morphology Stem
Stem bearing 2-3 leaves, lightly compressed, simple or with 1-2 branches.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flower-clusters several per axis in spicate arrangement, sessile except the terminal, each (2-)4-flowered; spathes and bracts scarious, pale and shiny, ovate-lanceolate, the margins ± entire, 7-8 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers deep blue, ± sessile.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal
Tepals obovate, ± 1 cm. long, 6 mm. wide.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Filaments 3.5 mm. long; anthers up to 2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style ± 5 mm. long, 3-lobed apically.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsules ellipsoid-ovoid, ± 7 mm. long, on stalks up to 5 mm. long.
Habitat
Montane grassland, woodland, and sometimes in seasonally moist sites; 1500-2000 m.; flowering November to February
Distribution
T7 T8
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0