Dietes iridioides has flowers that are extremely similar to Dietes grandiflora, and since both species are commonly cultivated in warm areas, they are often confused with one another or misidentified. The Gardening in the Coastal Southeast webpage on Dietes has some nice photos and information about how to tell these two very similar species apart.
Dietes iridioides, commonly named African iris, fortnight lily, and morea iris, is a species of plant in the family Iridaceae that is native to Southern Africa.
This species has sarmentous stems with branches bearing lily-like flowers 6–8 centimetres (2.4–3.1 in) wide, white with yellow central markings. Growing up to 60 centimetres (24 in) in height and 30–60 centimetres (12–24 in) in spread, it forms dense basal tufts in the shape of an extended fan. Its preferred habitat is in semi-shade under tall, open trees. It has white flowers marked with yellow and violet, with six free tepals that are not joined into a tube at their bases. These flowers last only for a few days.
The seedpods of the plant often bend the stalks down to the ground where they have a better chance of propagating a new generation of plants.
Dietes iridoides is widely distributed in Africa, from Ethiopia to South Africa.[1]
These plants were formerly placed in the genus Moraea, but were reclassified because they are rhizomatous. Some references mention the species Dietes vegeta or D. vegeta variegata, springing from some confusion with Moraea vegata (which grows from a corm, not a rhizome). The name D. vegeta is commonly misapplied to both D. iridioides and D. grandiflora.
Dietes iridioides, commonly named African iris, fortnight lily, and morea iris, is a species of plant in the family Iridaceae that is native to Southern Africa.
