Identifying the Mystery Plant: Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda chinensis)

A gardener in eastern Kansas describes a plant with bearded iris-like leaves, small yellowish-orange tubers, and orange-spotted blooms about two inches across with six slightly spaced petals in clusters of six. The answer? It's almost certainly blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis), a hardy member of the iris family—not a true lily.

Key Characteristics

• Leaves resemble bearded iris, 2–2.5 feet tall
• Small tubers (~1 inch long, ½ inch wide), yellowish-orange
• Flowers: orange with spots, 2 inches wide, 6 petals with slight gaps, clustered
• Blooms mid-summer for several weeks
• Seed pods split open in fall, revealing shiny black seeds (hence "blackberry")

Blackberry lilies self-seed readily and often escape from gardens into fields and fence rows. They're easy to grow from seed and add unique late-summer interest. Though not native to Kansas, they thrive there with minimal care.