Patersonia Explained

Patersonia, is a genus of plants whose species are commonly known as native iris or native flag and are native to areas from Malesia to Australia.^[1]

Description

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, often with adaptations for conserving moisture, such as stomata sunk in grooves, a thickened cross-section, marginal hairs, and 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.^[2]

Taxonomy

The genus Patersonia was first formally described in 1807 by Robert Brown in the Botanical Magazine.^[3] The genus name is a tribute to the first Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales in Australia, William Paterson, "a gentleman whose name has been long familiar to the naturalist".^{[4] [5]}

Species list

The following is a list of Patersonia species accepted by Plants of the World Online as of October 2021:^[6]

• Patersonia argyrea D.A.Cooke (W.A.)
• Patersonia babianoides Benth. (W.A.)
• Patersonia borneensis Stapf (Borneo)
• Patersonia drummondii F.Muell. ex Benth. – Drummond's patersonia (W.A.)
• Patersonia fragilis (Labill.) Asch. & Graebn. - swamp iris, short purple-flag (S.A., Qld., N.S.W., Vic., Tas.)
• Patersonia glabrata R.Br. - leafy purple flag, bugulbi (Qld., N.S.W., Vic.)
• Patersonia graminea Benth. – grass-leaved patersonia (W.A.)
• Patersonia inaequalis Benth. – unequal bract patersonia (W.A.)
• Patersonia inflexa Goldblatt (Papua New Guinea)
• Patersonia juncea Lindl. – rush-leaved patersonia (W.A.)
• Patersonia lanata R.Br. – woolly patersonia (W.A.)
• Patersonia limbata Endl. (W.A.)
• Patersonia lowii Stapf (Borneo)
• Patersonia macrantha Benth. (N.T.)
• Patersonia maxwellii (F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Benth. (W.A.)
• Patersonia neocaledonica Goldblatt & J.C.Manning (New Caledonia)
• Patersonia novo-guineensis Gibbs (New Guinea)
• Patersonia occidentalis R.Br. (W.A., S.A., Vic., Tas.)
• Patersonia philippinensis Goldblatt (Mindoro)
• Patersonia pygmaea Lindl. (W.A.)
• Patersonia rudis Endl. (W.A.)
  • Petersonia rudis Endl. subsp. rudis
  • Petersonia rudis subsp. velutina D.A.Cooke
• Patersonia sericea R.Br.
  • Patersonia sericea var. longifolia (R.Br.) C.Moore – purple flag (N.S.W., Vic.)
  • Patersonia sericea R.Br. var. sericea – silky purple-flag (Qld., N.S.W., Vic.)
• Patersonia spirafolia Keighery (W.A.)
• Patersonia sumatrensis Goldblatt (Sumatra)
• Patersonia umbrosa Endl. (W.A.)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Patersonia species . Australian National Botanic Gardens . 4 November 2021.
2. Goldblatt, P. (2011). Systematics of Patersonia (Iridaceae, Patersonioideae) in the Malesian archipelago. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 98: 514-523.
3. Web site: Patersonia . APNI. 4 November 2021.
4. Brown . Robert . Sims . John (ed.) . Patersonia sericea . Curtis's Botanical Magazine . 1807 . 26 . 1041 . 4 November 2021.
5. Book: Manning, J. and P. Goldblatt. The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification . Timber Press . Portland, Oregon. 94–95 . 2008. 978-0-88192-897-6.
6. Web site: Patersonia . Plants of the World Online . 4 November 2021.