Dianella caerulea Sims, Xanthorrhoeaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 5 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: blue flax-lily, blueberry-lily, blueberry-plant, cerulean flaxlily, flax-lily

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Plant tufted and solitary or gregarious, or mat-forming.  Roots fibrous.  Stems to 2 m long, touching or up to .05 m apart.  Leaves 10-75 cm long; sheath conduplicate, moderately to ± completely occluded distally; lamina 0.3-2.5 cm wide, flat, recurving to revolute in T.S. when dry, cucullate, obtuse.  Inflorescence exceeding foliage; cymules open to contracted, 3-25-flowered; pedicels usually less than 1 cm long, sharply ridged to winged.  Perianth segments ovate to narrowly elliptic.  Sepals 7-11.5 mm long, 5-7-nerved.  Petals 6.3-10.5 mm long, 3-5-nerved.  Filament swelling 1-3 mm long, yellow; anthers 2.8-4.7 mm long, pale yellow-brown.  Ovules 6-12 per locule.  Berry 7-12 mm long.  Seed 2.9-3.7 mm long; testa smooth but microscopically areolate-alveolate, to colliculate, black, shiny." Numerous varieties (George, 1987; pp. 209-214).

Habitat/ecology:  In Australia, "occurs in a variety of habitats from heaths to open eucalypt forest" (George, 1987; pp. 209-214).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Common in eastern Australia from Torres Strait islands to Tasmania. In mainland Australia rarely occurs west of the Great Dividing Range. Also in New Guinea" (George, 1987; pp. 209-214).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lau, Alex/Frohlich, Danielle (2012) (p. 18) Voucher cited: J. Geachy U.S. Army 152 (BISH)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (pp. 202-203) In forests at medium and higher altitudes, ascending to 2,200 m.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Tasmania, Victoria
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 33) Cultivated only

Control:  If you know of control methods for Dianella caerulea, please let us know.