ANNUAL BULBINE LILY

(Bulbine semibarbata)

(Photos: from https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/1366, https://www.plant-world-seeds.com/images/item_images/000/001/551/large_square/BULBINE_SEMIBARBATA.JPG?1495388088)

Now doesn’t that yellow brighten up a gloomy winter’s day? You might have to wait another few months to see it around though.  The flower of the bulbine lily appears in summer, with 6 bright yellow petals and some inner stamens. Three of these stamens are hairy, which you might be  able to see in the second photo above.  And since the flowers are only about 1 cm across, you might need a lens to see them in real life too! The entire plant is only ankle high, with cylindrical, fleshy leaves (like those of an onion only smaller and brighter). Above the open flower you would normally see more unopened flowers… a bit like a hyacinth: some dying, some open, some unopened flowers along a stem. So come summer, look out for these bright, rare plants along the coast in rocky places, or in the mallee, and enjoy!