Perennial herb up to 2-m tall, with a dark red stem and brighter orange or brick-red flowers on the outside, very showy, distributed in two opposite rows on a spike
Scientific name: Watsonia meriana (L.) P. Mill.
Common name: bulbil bugle lily
Family: Iridaceae
Status in Portugal: Invasive species in more and more situations in the national territory.
Risk Assessment Score: 17| | Value obtained according to a protocol adapted from the Australian Weed Risk Assessment (Pheloung et al. 1999), by Morais et al. (2017), according to which values above 13 mean that the species has risk of having invasive behavior in the Portuguese territory | Updated on 30/09/2017.
Synonymy: Watsonia angusta auct. non Ker-Gawl., Watsonia bulbillifera Matthews & L. Bolus
Last update: 31/01/2018
Help us map this species on our citizen-science platform
How to recognize it
Lively herb up to 2 m tall, with 5-6 cm Ø flattened corm. It has numerous bulbs, ± 1 cm, dark red, located in the axils of the upper leaves and lower bracts. Stems are dark red, usually simple.
Leaves: 5 to 6 basal leaves, 60 x 6 cm, ensiform, erect.
Flowers: orange or brick-red flowers, lighter on the outside.
Similar species
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora, Chasmanthe spp., Gladiolus spp., and other Watsonia species are similar but Watsonia meriana is the only one that produces buds on the flowers which helps to distinguish it. Additionally, W. meriana has 6 stigmas, while Crocosmia x crocosmiiflorae Chasmanthe spp. have only 3. Comparing with Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora it is also distinguished because this one has a zigzag spike. And comparing with the various species of Chasmanthe genus, it is distinguished by the fact that the flowers of these species have a longer and narrower tube.
From left to right: Watsonia meriana (with ear axis approximately straight and flower tube shorter and opening at the top), Chasmanthe sp. (with flowers with a longer and narrower tube and a spoon-shaped upper tepal) and Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (with more open flowers and a zigzag axis of the spike).
Characteristics that aid invasion
This plant favors humid situations and withstands flooding for several weeks. It grows forming population densities that prevent the regeneration of taller species and reduce the richness of native species. It does not produce viable seeds but spreads rapidly through the numerous buds. These disperse through water and soil.
Native distribution area
South Africa (Cape Province).
Distribution in Portugal
Mainland Portugal (Minho, Beira Baixa, Baixo Alentejo, and Algarve) and islands of the Madeira Archipelago.
For more detailed locations of this species, check the online interactive map. This map is still incomplete – we need your help! Contribute by submitting records of the location of the species where you can find it.
Other places where the species is invasive
Australia.
Introduction reasons
For ornamental purposes.
Preferential invasion environments
Stream banks and ditches, lowland crop fields.
