Spear Lily - Doryanthes palmeri

There is a Queensland Spear Lily in the bed by the front gate, another in the bed west of the lake and a third in the bed near the cannon . It is native to coastal regions of northern NSW and southern Queensland, but like the Moreton Bay Fig, does well in Warrnambool.

It is a dramatic plant with arching, strappy leaves up to 3m long and an enormous flowering stalk that can grow to 5m high.  The flowers are red and the fruit egg-shaped with seeds about 20mm long.

It flowers at intervals, depending on conditions.  While the plant in Kew Gardens U.K. has flowered only 4 times since 1948 the Warrnambool plants flower much more frequently.