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Gymea Lily

Gymea Lily

Doryanthes excelsa

Family Doryanthaceae

Sydney sandstone icon

About

Endemic to coastal NSW around Sydney, the Gymea Lily is one of the most spectacular native plants in the Sydney Basin, sending up a flower spike as tall as 6m topped with a large, trumpet-flowered crimson head.

How to spot it

Look for a rosette of long, strap-like sword leaves 1-2.5m long on low-nutrient sandy soils along creeks and gullies, with the towering red flower spike appearing over spring and summer.

Found in

  • Royal NP

Source: Wikipedia: Doryanthes excelsa

Akamanda, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons