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The Swordleaf dianella (Dianella ensifolia) belongs to Liliaceae (the Lily family). It is an evergreen perennial that is distributed in the Kii Peninsula of Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, the Ogasawara Islands, the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, Taiwan, central and southern China, Malaysia, and India. It grows near the coast in warm climates and is 50 to 100 cm tall. The leaves are broadly linear, alternate in two rows, 50-60 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, thick and glossy. From May to July, it produces flower stalks and sparse spikes with blue to bluish-purple flowers. The flower has six tepals, which are flattened and heavily recurved. The fruits are spherical and berry-like, ripening to a blue-purple color. The Japanese name comes from the flower's resemblance to "Kikyo" (Balloon flower).
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