Patersonia

Taxobox
name = "Patersonia"

---

image_caption="Patersonia sericea"
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Liliopsida
ordo = Asparagales
familia = Iridaceae
genus = "Patersonia"
genus_authority = R.Br.
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = About 19 species, including:
"Patersonia argyrea"
"Patersonia babianoides"
"Patersonia drummondii"
"Patersonia fragilis"
"Patersonia glabrata"
"Patersonia graminea"
"Patersonia inaequalis"
"Patersonia juncea"
"Patersonia lanata"
"Patersonia limbata"
"Patersonia lowii"
"Patersonia macrantha"
"Patersonia maxwellii"
"Patersonia occidentalis"
"Patersonia pygmaea"
"Patersonia rudis"
"Patersonia sericea"
"Patersonia spirafolia"
"Patersonia umbrosa"

Patersonia (or Purple flag) is a genus of the Iridaceae with about 20 species in Australia and at least one in Timor.

They are perennials with basal leaves growing from a woody rhizome that in some species extends above ground to form a short trunk. The leaves are tough and fibrous with various adaptations to conserve moisture: stomata sunk in grooves, thickened cross-section, marginal hairs or thickened margins.

The flowers appear from between a pair of bracts on a leafless stem. They have three large outer tepals that are usually blue to violet, and three tiny inner tepals. There are three stamens fused at the base to form a tube around the longer style which bears a flattened stigma.

Several species are grown as garden subjects. They can be propagated by seed or by division.

*"Patersonia fragilis" comes from sandy coastal heathlands in south-eastern Australia; it has narrow grey-green leaves and pale violet flowers close to the ground.

*"Patersonia glabrata" forms a shrub to 80 cm high with wiry tangled stems.

*"Patersonia occidentalis" is an iris-like plant to 75 cm tall with blue flowers, widespread in southern Australia.

*"Patersonia sericea" is similar but has bracts covered in short silky hairs. It is an east coast species, replaced by the closely related "P. rudis" and "P. lanata" in Western Australia and "P. macrantha" in the Northern Territory.

*"Patersonia umbrosa" from Western Australia has two colour variants, the typical blue-violet variety, and the yellow-flowered var. "xanthina" from the karri forests.

References

Cooke, D.A. (1986) Patersonia. Flora of Australia 46: 13-26. (Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra).