Nemastylis floridana is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae known by the common names Florida celestial, fallflowering pleatleaf, and fallflowering ixia. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it faces many threats to its existence, but so far remains viable.
This is the only Nemastylis in Florida. The plant is a perennial herb producing a thin stem up to 1.5 meters long from a bulb up to 1.5 centimeters wide. The stem generally has a few branches and a few linear-shaped leaves no wider than 1 centimeter. The basal leaves are the longest, up to 4 or 5 centimeters long, while those near the ends of the stem branches are much reduced. The inflorescence is a rhipidium usually containing two flowers. The flower has six dark blue tepals each up to 2 centimeters long. The fruit is a capsule which may reach nearly a centimeter in length.
Flowering occurs in summer and early fall. The flower itself opens in the afternoon, between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm, but usually between 4:00 and 6:00 pm. The flowers are pollinated by bees, particularly the females of two species of halictids.
This plant grows in wet, swampy habitat types. It can be found along marshes and in hammocks and flatwoods amongst saw palmettos and cabbage palms.
