Watsonia versfeldii

Meaning of name: Watsonia honours Sir William Watson (1715 – 1787), an English student of electricity, apothecary, physician and botanist. The meaning of versfeldii is not known.

Distribution: A garden escapee, this plant now occurs from Perth to Albany.

Description: The leaves are up to 60 centimetres tall. The flower spike can be 2 metres tall. The flowers can be white, pink or red and are produced in October and November.

References: Western Weeds, A Guide to the Weeds of Western Australia. BMJ Hussey, GJ Keighery, J Dodd, SG Lloyd, RD Cousens. 1997.

Western Australian Plant Names and their Meanings, a Glossary. FA Sharr. 1996.

Flora of the Perth Region. NG Marchant, JR Wheeler, BL Rye, EM Bennett, NS Lander, TD Macfarlane. 1987.