Species

Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis

Etymology

Agapanthus: From the Greek agap, meaning 'love', and anthos, meaning 'flower', translating broadly as the flower of love.
orientalis: From the Latin orientale, meaning 'eastern' but sometimes also translated as 'from the Orient'.

Common Name(s)

Agapanthus

Family

Alliaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

AGAPSO

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Monocotyledonous Herbs

Habitat

Terrestrial.

Features

Robust, clump-forming perennial. Rhizomes thick, long, white. Leaves 20-70 x 2-6 cm, leathery, arching, arising from base in clumps up to 20, sap watery. Flowers small, purplish-blue or white, in many-flowered umbrella-shaped clusters 7 x 5 cm, Dec-Feb. Seeds thin, papery, black.

Similar Taxa

Easily identified by the fleshy, strap-like green leave and large blue or white flowers.

Flowering

December, January, February

Flower Colours

Blue,White

Year Naturalised

1952

Origin

South Africa

Reason for Introduction

Ornamental

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Perennial.

Tolerances

The plant can survive mowing, grazing, insects and sprays.



This page last updated on 31 Jul 2014