''Freesia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Iridaceae Iridaceae () is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the Iris (plant), irises. It has a nearly global distribution, with 69 accepted genera with a total of about 2500 species. It includes a number of economically importan ...

, first described as a genus in 1866 by Christian Friedrich Ecklon (1886) and named after the German botanist and medical practitioner, Friedrich Freese (1795–1876). It is native to the eastern side of southern Africa, from

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

south to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, most species being found in Cape Provinces. Species of the former genus ''Anomatheca'' are now included in ''Freesia''. The plants commonly known as "freesias", with fragrant funnel-shaped flowers, are cultivated hybrids of a number of ''Freesia'' species. Some other species are also grown as ornamental plants.

Description

They are

plants which grow from a conical

corm Corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen, underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (perennation). The word ''c ...

diameter, which sends up a tuft of narrow

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

long, and a sparsely branched stem tall bearing a few leaves and a loose one-sided spike of

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s with six

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s. Many species have fragrant narrowly funnel-shaped

s, although those formerly placed in the genus ''Anomatheca'', such as '' F. laxa'', have flat flowers. Freesias are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including the large yellow underwing.

Systematics

The genus was named in honor of Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese (1795–1876), a German physician. ; SpeciesSearch for "Freesia", * '' Freesia andersoniae'' L.Bolus - the Cape Provinces, Free State * '' Freesia caryophyllacea'' (Burm.f.) N.E.Br. (syn. ''F. elimensis'' L.Bolus, ''F. parva'' N.E.Br., ''F. xanthospila'' (DC.) Klatt) - Heuningrug region in the Cape Provinces * '' Freesia corymbosa'' (Burm.f.) N.E.Br. (syn. ''F. armstrongii'' W.Watson, ''F. brevis'' N.E.Br., ''F. aurea'' Hend., ''F. odorata'' (G.Lodd. ex Bosse) Eckl. ex Klatt) - the Cape Provinces * '' Freesia fergusoniae'' L.Bolus - the Cape Provinces * '' Freesia fucata'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt - Hoeks River Valley in the Cape Provinces * '' Freesia grandiflora'' (Baker) Klatt - Zaire, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, northeastern South Africa * '' Freesia laxa'' (Thunb.) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning (syn. ''F. cruenta'' (Lindl.) Klatt) - from Rwanda + Kenya south to the Cape Provinces; naturalized in Madeira, Mauritius, Réunion, Australia, Florida, Argentina * '' Freesia leichtlinii'' Klatt (syn. ''F. middlemostii'' F.Barker, ''F. muirii'' N.E.Br., ''Freesia alba'' G.L.Mey. = ''F. leichtlinii subsp. alba'' (G.L.Mey.) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt) - the Cape Provinces; naturalized in Corsica, California, Florida, Argentina * '' Freesia marginata'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt - the Cape Provinces * '' Freesia occidentalis'' L.Bolus (syn. ''F. framesii'' L.Bolus) - the Cape Provinces * '' Freesia praecox'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt - the Cape Provinces * '' Freesia refracta'' (Jacq.) Klatt (syn. ''F. hurlingii'' L.Bolus) - the Cape Provinces; naturalized in France, Canary Islands, Madeira, Bermuda, St. Helena * '' Freesia sparrmanii'' (Thunb.) N.E.Br. - Langeberg in the Cape Provinces * '' Freesia speciosa'' L.Bolus (syn. ''F. flava'' (E.Phillips & N.E.Br.) N.E.Br.) - the Cape Provinces * '' Freesia verrucosa'' (B.Vogel) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning (syn. ''F. juncea'' (Pourr.) Klatt) - the Cape Provinces * '' Freesia viridis'' (Aiton) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning - Namibia, the Cape Provinces Species of the former genus ''Anomatheca'' are now included in ''Freesia'': * ''Anomatheca cruenta'' Lindl. = '' Freesia laxa'' subsp. ''laxa'' * ''Anomatheca grandiflora'' Baker = '' Freesia grandiflora'' * ''Anomatheca juncea'' (Pourr.) Ker Gawl. = '' Freesia verrucosa'' * ''Anomatheca laxa'' (Thunb.) Goldblatt = '' Freesia laxa'' * ''Anomatheca verrucosa'' (B.Vogel) Goldblatt = '' Freesia verrucosa'' * ''Anomatheca viridis'' (Aiton) Goldblatt = '' Freesia viridis'' * ''Anomatheca xanthospila'' (DC.) Ker Gawl. = '' Freesia caryophyllacea''

Cultivation and uses

The plants usually called "freesias" in horticulture and floristry are derived from crosses made in the 19th century between ''Freesia refracta'' and ''Freesia leichtlinii''. Numerous

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s have been bred from these species and the pink- and yellow-flowered forms of ''Freesia corymbosa''. Modern tetraploid cultivars have flowers ranging from white to yellow, pink, red and blue-mauve. They are mostly cultivated professionally in the Netherlands by about 80 growers.Dutch flowerpaper, Bloemenkrant, publisher Verhagen, week 12-2015, see also http://issuu.com/twovisions/docs/bk_week_12_15?e=1360358/11894263 Freesias can be readily increased from seed. Due to their specific and pleasing scent, they are often used in hand creams, shampoos, candles, etc.; however, the flowers themselves are mainly used in wedding bouquets. ''Freesia laxa'' (formerly called ''Lapeirousia laxa'' or ''Anomatheca cruenta'') is one of the other species of the genus which is commonly cultivated. Smaller than the scented freesia cultivars, it has flat rather than cup-shaped flowers., p. 9, p. 18 File:Freesia refracta (Jacq.) Klatt (AM AK333551-2).jpg, Freesia plants in native habitat File:Flower March 2010-2.jpg, ''Freesia alba'' (''F. leichtlinii subsp. alba'') File:Freesia caryophyllacea 1DS-II 1-8705.jpg, ''Freesia caryophyllacea'' File:Freesia corymbosa KirstenboshBotGard09292010wildformB.jpg, ''Freesia corymbosa'' File:Freesia grandiflora KirstenboshBotGard09292010A.jpg, ''Freesia grandiflora'' File:Anomatheca laxa01.JPG, ''Freesia laxa'' File:FreesiaRefracta2.jpg, ''Freesia refracta'' (garden

) File:PikiWiki Israel 42309 Plants of Israel.JPG, Variety of freesia cultivars File:Purple Freesia.jpg, Mauve-colored freesia cultivar File:Freesia verrucosa 97692625.jpg, ''Freesia verrucosa'' File:Freesia viridis.jpg, ''Freesia viridis'' in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Volume 31: t. 1275, as ''Tritonia viridis'' File:Freesia viridis crispifolia 15935754.jpg, ''Freesia viridis subsp. crispifolia''

References

Bibliography

* * Goldblatt, P. (1982) Systematics of ''Freesia'' Klatt (Iridaceae) J. South African Bot. 48:39-93.

External links

*
Freesias photos of International Bulb Society

Freesias photos of Pacific Bulb Society

Freesia info and pictures

{{Authority control Iridaceae genera Flora of the Afrotropical realm