Dianella is a genus of about forty species of flowering plants in the monocot family Asphodelaceae, commonly known as flax lilies. Plants in this genus are tufted herbs with more or less linear leaves and bisexual flowers with three sepals more or less similar to three petals and a superior ovary, the fruit a berry. They occur in Africa, South-east Asia, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia.
Several species of this genus, or the whole genus, are sometimes referred to by the common name blue flax lily, particularly in Australia.
Description Plants in the genus Dianella are tufted perennial, rhizomatous herbs with fibrous or fleshy roots, more or less linear leaves with their bases overlapping, bisexual flowers with three sepals more or less similar to three blue, purple or white petals and a superior ovary, and the fruit a berry.
Taxonomy The name Dianella was first formally published by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1786 in his Encyclopédie Méthodique, but this did not validly establish the name because Lamarck did not include a description of the new genus.Rodney J.F. Henderson. 1977. Typification of Dianella Lam. ex Juss. (Liliaceae). Taxon 26(1):131-137. Antoine Laurent de Jussieu made it a correct name in 1789 when he published a description in the first edition of his Genera Plantarum. The name Dianella is a reference to the Roman goddess Diana with the suffix ella meaning "small".
The genus Dianella is closely related to Thelionema and Herpolirion.Dion S. Devey, Ilia Leitch, Paula J. Rudall, J. Chris Pires, Yohan Pillon, and Mark W. Chase. "Systematics of Xanthorrhoeaceae sensu lato, with an emphasis on Bulbine". Aliso 22(Monocots: Comparative Biology and Evolution):345-351. ISSN 0065-6275.
Distribution and habitat Plants in the genus Dianella occur in Africa, South-east Asia, the Pacific Islands including Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia. About half of the species are native to Australia.Starting out with Natives, John Wriggley & Murray Fagg
Species list The following is a list of Dianella species accepted by Plants of the World Online as of June 2026:
Dianella acutifolia Schlittler - New Caledonia Dianella adenanthera (G.Forst.) R.J.F.Hend. - numerous Pacific Islands Dianella amoena G.W.Carr & P.F.Horsfall - Tasmania, Victoria Dianella atraxis R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland Dianella bambusifolia Hallier f. - Queensland, New Guinea Dianella brevicaulis (Ostenf.) G.W.Carr & P.F.Horsfall - southern Australia Dianella brevipedunculata R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland Dianella caerulea Sims - New Guinea, eastern Australia Dianella caerulea var. aquilonia R.J.F.Hend. Dianella caerulea var. assera R.J.F.Hend. Dianella caerulea Sims var. caerulea Dianella caerulea var. cinerascans R.J.F.Hend. Dianella caerulea var. petasmatodes R.J.F.Hend. Dianella caerulea var. producta R.J.F.Hend. Dianella caerulea var. protensa R.J.F.Hend. Dianella caerulea var. vannata R.J.F.Hend. Dianella callicarpa G.W.Carr & P.F.Horsfall - Victoria Dianella carolinensis Lauterb. - Micronesia Dianella congesta R.Br. - Queensland, New South Wales Dianella crinoides R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland, New South Wales Dianella daenikeri Schlittler - New Caledonia Dianella dentata Schlittler - southeastern China Dianella ensifolia (L.) DC. (syn. D. ensata) Chimanimani Mountains of southern Africa; Indian Subcontinent, China, Madagascar, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Japan, islands in Indian Ocean Dianella fruticans R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland Dianella haematica Heenan & de Lange - North Island of New Zealand Dianella incollata R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland Dianella intermedia Endl. - Norfolk Island of Australia Dianella latissima Heenan & de Lange - North Island of New Zealand Dianella lignosa R.L.Barrett & M.D.Barrett - Western Australia Dianella longifolia R.Br. - widespread in Australia Dianella longifolia var. fragrans R.J.F.Hend. Dianella longifolia var. grandis R.J.F.Hend. Dianella longifolia R.Br. var. longifolia Dianella longifolia var. stenophylla Domin Dianella longifolia var. stupata R.J.F.Hend. Dianella longifolia var. surculosa R.J.F.Hend. Dianella monophylla Hallier f. - New Guinea Dianella nervosa R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland, New South Wales Dianella nigra Colenso - North + South Islands of New Zealand Dianella odorata Blume - Maluku, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Queensland, Northern Territory Dianella pavopennacea R.J.F.Hend. - Queensland Dianella pavopennacea var. major R.J.F.Hend. Dianella pavopennacea R.J.F.Hend. var. pavopennacea Dianella pavopennacea var. robusta R.J.F.Hend. Dianella pendula Schlittler - îles Loyauté of New Caledonia Dianella plicata Schlittler - New Caledonia Dianella porracea (R.J.F.Hend.) Horsfall & G.W.Carr - Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia Dianella prunina R.J.F.Hend. - New South Wales Dianella rara R.Br. - Queensland Dianella revoluta R.Br. - widespread in Australia Dianella revoluta var. divaricata R.J.F.Hend. Dianella revoluta var. minor R.J.F.Hend. Dianella revoluta (R.Br.) R.J.F.Hend.var. revoluta Dianella revoluta var. tenuis R.J.F.Hend. Dianella revoluta var. vinosa R.J.F.Hend. Dianella saffordiana Fosberg & Sachet - Guam Dianella sandwicensis Hook. & Arn. - New Caledonia, Hawaiian Islands, Marquesas Dianella serrulata Hallier f. - Queensland, New Guinea Dianella stipitata Schlittler - New Caledonia Dianella tarda Horsfall & G.W.Carr - New South Wales, Victoria Dianella tasmanica Hook.f. - Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales Dianella tenuissima G.W.Carr - New South Wales
Uses Several species of Dianella are grown for their attractive foliage and shiny, blue to purple berries.Anthony Huxley, Mark Griffiths, and Margot Levy (1992). The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. The Macmillan Press, Limited: London. The Stockton Press: New York. (set).
Reports of the edibility of the fruit range from very poisonous to sweet and nutty (such as D. caerulea), and the beach flax lily (D. congesta) is reportedly the best-tasting.Wild food plants of Australia, Tim Low
The leaves are used to weave dillies and baskets by Indigenous Australians.
See also List of plants known as lily
References
External links
Australian plants online