Calectasia

Calectasia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Dasypogonaceae. They are commonly referred to as tinsel lilies, and are endemic to southern Australia.

Description

Plants in the genus Calectasia are small, branched shrubs to about 50 cm high with stiff, erect branchlets covered by old leaves and leaf sheaths. The branchlets are covered with short, soft hairs and the lance-shaped leaves have pointed ends and parallel veins.

Flowers occur singly on the ends of short branchlets above a large number of small, overlapping leaves. They have six lilac-blue to purple petals (strictly tepals) which form a short tube at their lower end but mostly spreading, forming a star-like pattern with a metallic sheen. Six bright yellow or orange stamens form a tube in the centre of the flower with a thin style extending beyond the centre of the tube.

Some species of Calectasia form specialised roots called stilt roots and can only regenerate from seed whilst others have tubers and can resprout from these. All stilt-rooted species are thought to be killed by fire and need up to five years without fire to flower and set seed.