Trimezia steyermarkii R.Foster, Iridaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Plants up to 150 cm tall, with rhizomes up to 2-4 cm long and 2-3 cm wide, with persistent leaf bases generally finely fibrous. Leaves lanceolate, 60-150 cm long and 2 cm wide. Flowering stem generally somewhat shorter than the leaves, subterete, usually with few branches or sometimes simple; spathes herbaceous, the internal ones 2.4-3 cm long, the external ones 1.8-2.2 cm long, shorter or approximately the same length as the internal ones, flowers yellow with brown spots; external tepals ca 3 cm long and 1.3 cm wide, claw ca 7 mm long, ascending, with many brown spots, blade more or less horizontal with brown spots at the base, internal tepals ca 2 cm long and 0.8 cm wide, claw ca 8 mm long, spotted with brown below, blade geniculate, arching forward and then recurved, with a group of inconspicuous elaiophores near the base, brown spotted below; filaments ca 3.3 mm long, anthers ca 4 mm long, latrorsas, connective yellow, pollen brown; style ca 9 mm long; crests 3-4 mm long. Capsule narrowly obovate, (1.2-) 1.5-3 cm long" (translated from Stevens et al., 2001, below).  Thanks to Jack Ewel, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, for providing the translation.

"Plantas hasta 150 cm de alto, con rizomas hasta 2-4 cm de largo y 2-3 cm de ancho, generalmente con las bases persistentes de las hojas finamente fibrosas. Hojas lanceoladas, 60-150 cm de largo y 2 cm de ancho. Tallo florifero generalmente algo más corto que las hojas, subterete, generalmente con pocas ramas o a veces simple; espatas herbáceas, las internaqs 2.4-3 cm de largo, las exteriores 1.8-2.2 cm de largo, más cortas a casi de la misma longitud que las internas, flores amarillas con manchas cafés; tépalos exteriores ca 3 cm de largo y 1.3 cm de ancho, la uña ca 7 mm de largo, ascendente, con muchas manchas cafés, limbo más o menos horizontal con manchas cafés en la base, tépalos internos ca 2 cm de largo y 0.8 cm de ancho, uña ca 8 mm de largo, maculada de café, limbo geniculado, arqueado hacia adelante y entonces recurvado, con un grupo de eleóforos obscuros cerca de la base, maculado de café abajo; filamentos ca 3.3 mm de largo, anteras ca 4 mm de largo, latrorsas, el conectivo amarillo, polen café; estilo ca 9 mm de largo; crestas 3-4 mm de largo. Cápsula angostamente obovada (1.2-) 1.5-3 cm de larga" (Stevens et al., 2001; p. 1160).

Habitat/ecology:  In Nicaragua, "mixed forests, 900-940 m" (Stevens et al., 2001; p. 1160).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	introduced cultivated	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. (2000) (p. 23)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
El Salvador El Salvador	El Salvador (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Comments:  Cultivated and naturalized in the West Indies (GRIN). Naturalized and common in Puerto Rico.

Additional information:
Additional online information about Trimezia steyermarkii is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Trimezia steyermarkii as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Trimezia steyermarkii may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. 2000. Survey of invasive or potentially invasive cultivated plants in Hawai‘i. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers No. 65. 35 pp.

Stevens, W. D./ Ulloa Ulloa, Carmen/Pool, Amy/Montiel, Olga Martha, eds. 2001. Flore de Nicaragua, vol. 2. Missouri Bot. Gard. Monographs in Syst. Bot. 85(2).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.