Find Your 
Round Black Seeds From A Blackberry lily
Ask the Expert: dont know what this flower is called a long time ago my neighbor had this really nice flower in the front yard. i liked it so i got some seed pods from it. well..forgetful me, i forgot to write it down. do you by chance know? the seeds are black, round and very hard..like bb’s, but bigger. 3-4 seeds per pod. i hope you can help. thanks
Reply:
Belamcanda chinesis Blackberry Lily From Cal' Plant Of The Week
Lily seed was the first thought that popped into my head when I saw the black round seeds in your picture. Of course, there are hundreds of lilies and lily like plants to choose from. I had to think about it for a while. And, have to say my first choice is a Blackberry lily or Leopard Lily (Belamcanda chinesis). This a a great naturalizing perennial in rock gardens and as a border plant. However, this is a short lived perennial. When I had these in my garden, I would let the seeds come up every other year to keep my area heathly and full. This is what I would call an old fashion plant. Because it propagated easily, old homesteads used this plant in abundance. Unfortunately, you don’t see it as much any more.
Give credit where credit is due —
The blackberry lily picture shown comes from Cal’s Plant of the Week – October 13-19, 2000. This photo was taken by Cal Lemke. He is the University of Oklahoma‘s botany greenhouse grower and an avid gardener.
thank you so much. i had planted one to see if it will grow and it is, very fast. i cant wait to see it bloom. again, thank you so very much.
Afternoon. I have a volunteer lilylike plant. The flowers are small and shaped like a lily. It has spears for leaves that come out of the root base. The flowers are a beautiful yellow and orange and come up on stalks. The seed pod opened last week; but, instead of the typical seeds, the pod revealed what looks exactly like a blackberry. I assume that they are poisonous because nothing has eaten any of the “seeds” even though they have been accessible for over a wee. Can you tell me what I have and if I can transplant it. Thanks.
Hi Leon,
I believe that what you have described is a Belamcanda, or Blackberry Lily. This name comes from the clusters of black seeds resembling blackberries that are shown when the seed pods open. This plant has recently been transferred to the iris family and has been renamed Iris Domestica. Yes, the seeds are poisonous if injected. Here is a great article that will give you more information about this interesting plant. Hope this helps!
I first thought that it was a Iris Domestica; but, the “seeds” are not hard, as was stated in the above post. They are succulent with a purple staying color. They never get hard. They dry up; much the same as a real blackberry.
Leon,
Really? That is interesting. Do you have a picture of the plant? If you can take a picture, please send it to jadams@flowershopnetwork.com and we will try to identify the plant for you.