Dietes iridioides

African iris, Fortnight lily, Wild iris

Message of the Flower

Aristocracy of Beauty

The Mother’s Comment

So perfectly formed that it compels admiration.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

Let beauty be your constant ideal.

The beauty of the soul

The beauty of sentiments

The beauty of thoughts

The beauty of the action

The beauty in the work

so that nothing comes out of your hands which is not an expression of pure and harmonious beauty.

And the Divine Help shall always be with you.

The Mother, On Education: Curriculum

In the world of forms a violation of Beauty is as great a fault as a violation of Truth in the world of ideas. For Beauty is the worship Nature offers to the supreme Master of the universe; Beauty is the divine language in forms. And a consciousness of the Divine which is not translated externally by an understanding and expression of Beauty would be an incomplete consciousness.

The Mother, Prayers and Meditations: January 29, 1917

Delight is the soul of existence, beauty the intense impression, the concentrated form of delight.

Sri Aurobindo, The Future Poetry: The Soul of Poetic Delight and Beauty

Beauty is Ananda taking form—but the form need not be a physical shape. One speaks of a beautiful thought, a beautiful act, a beautiful soul. What we speak of as beauty is Ananda in manifestation.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Poetry and Art: Art, Beauty and Ananda

Beauty is the special divine Manifestation in the physical as Truth is in the mind, Love in the heart, Power in the vital. Supramental beauty is the highest divine beauty manifesting in Matter.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Poetry and Art: Beauty

The one rule of the gnostic life would be the self-expression of the Spirit, the will of the Divine Being; that will, that self-expression could manifest through extreme simplicity or through extreme complexity and opulence or in their natural balance,—for beauty and plenitude, a hidden sweetness and laughter in things, a sunshine and gladness of life are also powers and expressions of the Spirit.

Sri Aurobindo, The Life Divine - II: The Divine Life

Beauty is his footprint showing us where he has passed, Love is his heart-beats' rhythm in mortal breasts, Happiness the smile on his adorable face.

Sri Aurobindo, Savitri - I: The Kingdom of Subtle Matter

Colour

Lavender, white, golden-orange, brown, light yellow, pale violet

Family

Iridaceae

Cultivars

John's Runner', 'Lemon Drop', 'Variegata', 'Nana'.

Person who named the flower

Thunberg

Flower Size

3 to 4 inches in diameter

Flower Texture

soft, silky

Number of Petals

six

Floral Symmetry

radially symmetrical (actinomorphic)

Fragrance of Flower

very faint, almost imperceptible fragrance

Leaf Texture

sword-shaped, stiff, and somewhat leathery

Leaf Arrangement

fan-like pattern, emanating from a central base

Leaf Color

Deep green

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

neither a shrub nor a tree; it's a clump-forming, herbaceous perennial

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Blooms repeatedly, often every fortnight during the growing season. Each flower typically lasts only one day.

Climate

temperate to subtropical

Water Requirements

Moderate

Soil Type

Well-draining soil, LoamySlightly acidic to neutral pH is ideal.

Temperature Ranges

50F and 70F (10C to 21C)

Sun or Shade

Full sun to partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

aphids and snails

Pollinators

bees, butterflies

Habitat

open grasslands and on the edges of forests in South Africa.

Role in the Ecosystem

soil stabilization, nectar for pollinators

Ornamental

Landscaping

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

landscape design, photography, botanical art

Endangered Status

Not endangered