Dilatris

The species of Dilatris are evergreen, perennial herbaceous plants with a short underground rootstock that is bright red or orange inside. From the rootstock emerge several hairless, line- to oblong lance-shaped leaves that are laterally flattened resulting in a right and left surface rather than an upper and lower surface. The inflorescence is a thyrse with branches forking and the flowers forming a simple or tiered rounded surface. The stem is softly hairy or, in D. viscosa, has gland-tipped hairs. The stem carries few leathery, softly or, in D. viscosa, glandularly hairy bracts that enclose the branches at their base. Flower buds are upright or, in D. viscosa, nodding, and the open flowers are upright. The not or lightly scented perianth is star-symmetrical, saucer- or cup-shaped, and consist of six free, long-lived tepals that become papery after flowering. The tepals have few to many gland dots towards their tip, and are softly or, in D. viscosa, glandularly hairy, mauve or, in D. viscosa, dirty yellow and stained orange on the reverse. The three stamens are inserted at the base of each of the inner tepals, unequal in size. The stamens consist of an awl- to thread-shaped filament and an anther. The filament closest to the branch tip is shorter and upright and carries a large yellow anther. The longer two filaments, facing away from the tip of the branch, are somewhat spreading and carry smaller reddish anthers. The egg-shaped ovary is set below the attachment of tepals and stamens, contains three cavities and carries three nectaries at the top of each cavity walls. There is one ovule in each cavity. The style is thread-shaped and curves either to the right or to the left, opposing the long anthers, and is topped by the point-shaped stigma. The ovary develops into a capsule that either contains three loose seeds, in D. viscosa, or the fruits breaks into three fragments each containing one seed. The seeds are shield-shaped. The pollen grains have one groove along their length (monosulcate).^[1]

Dilatris viscosa has leaves that are mostly more than 6 mm (0.24 in) wide, stems that are covered in red, gland-tipped hairs, leafy and somewhat swollen bracts, nodding flower buds, a star-shaped perianth that consists of six line- to lance-shaped tepals that are dirty yellow on the inside, stained orange on the back. Dilatris ixioides has leaves that are mostly 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) wide, stems that are covered in white hairs without glands, bracts that are dry or cartilaginous higher on the stem, upright flower buds, a wide cup-shaped perianth consisting of six mauve tepals, each with two or three gland-dots near their tips, stamens that are 1½–2 times longer than tepals, the large anther 2.5–4 mm (0.098–0.157 in) long, about 3–4 times longer than smaller anthers. Dilatris pillansii has leaves that are mostly 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) wide, stems that are covered in white, felty hairs of 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long without glands, three or four bracts that are leafy, the lower hairless except for the margins, those higher up increasingly felty hairy with adpressed hairs of 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long, upright flower buds, a cup-shaped perianth consisting of six mauve tepals, oval and incurved and 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long, the longer stamens much shorter than tepals with filaments of 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long and the large anther about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long. Dilatris corymbosa has leaves that are mostly 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) wide, stems that are covered in white, felty hairs of 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long without glands, four or five bracts that are leafy, the lower hairless except for the margins, those higher up increasingly felty hairy with adpressed hairs of 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long, a cup-shaped perianth consisting of six mauve tepals, elliptic and 10–13 mm (0.39–0.51 in) long, the longer stamens about as long or somewhat longer than the tepals with filaments of 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long and the large anther about 3 mm (0.12 in) long.^[1]

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  D. pillansii leaves
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  D. pillansii bract and stem
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  D. pillansii rust-coloured with age