Blackberry lily
| Blackberry lily |
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| Scientific Classification |
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| Binomial Name |
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Belamcanda chinensis |
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| Blackberry lily fruit |
The Blackberry lily is a species of Iris known by the scientific name Belamcanda chinensis. It is also commonly known as the panther lily. Research has also shown that it is closely related to species Iris dichotoma.
Anatomy
The leaves of an Iris are like a lily's leaves. They grow with the bulb up not from the stem like most lilies. They have a linear venial system within each leaf. These help the water and minerals get to every part of the leaf. Inside the stem of an iris is bunch of vascular bundles. How these bundles get the water to the top of the flower is still unknown. [1]
Ecology
Each day only a few flowers open for their only chance of blooming. Then they do an interesting thing, and spiral around themselves. After the flower wilts it exposes a bushel of black berry shaped seeds from which its name is derived.[2] These beautiful flowers are also very common in northern India, northern Vietnam, Singapore, eastern China, and Korea to southern Japan. They grow in damp meadows or next to stream beds. They can grow very well next to deciduous species. They will grow in sun or shade. In either shade or sun the will still produce exceptionally well. The soil the Blackberry lily prefers is loamy soil, it benefits their height. These majestic plants can also grow in sandy or clay soil. [3]
Nuisances
Because a Blackberry lily grows in moist places there are many pests. Snails, slugs, aphids and mealy bugs eat away at the plants leafs or roots. Even though a Blackberry lily grows very well in damp area, if there is to much water it can get water logged. After too much water the Iris plant will all together die. As well as being water logged, a plant can die from heat exhaustion. Their beds aren't kept damp in the complete sun. As weird as it sounds plants can suffer from viral infections like us. It attacks their storage sources and causes the leaves and flowers to die. This will eventually lead to the entire plants death. Planting or growing in that spot could attract the same viral infection for the next plant.[4]
References
- [5] Green Culture. 5.18.10.
