Neomarica gracilis

 

About a dozen species of Neomarica are native to Africa and tropical America. The foliage is similar to that of an iris and flowers may be white, yellow or blue. Walking iris has evergreen foliage. After flowering, the flower spikes lean to the ground and develop plantlets at the end, allowing the plant to quickly colonize a small area.

Location:

See this plant on the west side of building 9.

Size:

Herbaceous plant with leaves about one foot tall. Flower spikes stand above the foliage.

Care Instructions:

Light: part shade to full shade

Water: average moisture, somewhat drought tolerant

Soil: average garden soil

This plant must be at or near its northern range in northeast Florida. It seems to thrive in the southern part of Jacksonville but died in the northern part of the city during a winter with a low of 18 F.

UNF: Neomarica gracilis

DESCRIPTION AND ETHNOBOTANY

Growth FormFoliageStems

Perennial herb forms large clumps up to 0.9 m tall.

Linear, erect leaves are 0.5 to 0.9 m long and emerge from the soil in a clump. They are soft and flexible, gracefully bending backwards near the tip.

This plant often lacks a stem.

Flowers	Iris-like flowers are white and blue with flower parts in threes. The petal-like, heart- to egg-shaped sepals are white with brown bands near the base. The smaller petals are bright blue with white streaks and the tip is curled backwards. Flowers only last for about a day, but new blooms are continually produced over a long period of time.
Cultivation	This species looks attractive when grown in mass plantings. It grows best in moist, but well-drained soils and is sensitive to drought stress.
Etymology	This species, along with other members of the Neomarica genus, is known as the Walking Iris. After a flower fades, the floral stalk bends to the ground and a new plantlet is formed at the tip. Through this method, the plant spreads to new locations, as if it was walking across a space.

https://youtu.be/30LeIVQg1Do?t=2658