Thread Iris - a weed (*Moraea setifolia)

Other names: Formerly Gynandriris setifolia.

Family: Iridaceae (Iris family).

Native of South Africa.

Occurrence: Uncommon weed of roadsides and farmland.

Identification:

• the flowers have six ‘petals’, three of which are narrower than the others
• the flowers are lilac to pale purple, with orange blotches
• the single leaf is thread-like, about a millimetre wide and up to 60 cm long
• the corm is pale and surrounded by fibre.

Similar species: Thread Iris can be distinguished from other members of the iris family by the colour of the flowers and the long, threadlike leaf.

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