''Freesia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 o ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s in the family

Iridaceae Iridaceae is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the irises, meaning rainbow, referring to its many colours. There are 66 accepted genera with a total of c. 2244 species worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016). It inclu ...

, first described as a genus in 1866 by

Christian Friedrich Ecklon Christian Friedrich Ecklon (17 December 1795 – 1 December 1868) was a Danish botanical collector and apothecary. Ecklon is especially known for being an avid collector and researcher of plants in South Africa. Biography Ecklon was from Åbenr ...

(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 ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

south to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, most species being found in

Cape Provinces The Cape Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "CPP". It includes the Sout ...

. 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 A 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 ' ...

diameter, which sends up a tuft of narrow

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

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

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

s with six

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

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 (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

species including the

large yellow underwing The large yellow underwing (''Noctua pronuba'') is a moth, the type species for the family Noctuidae. It is an abundant species throughout the Palearctic realm, one of the most common and most familiar moths of the region. In some years the speci ...

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

, 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.) - 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.) - 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 type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

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:Flower March 2010-2.jpg, ''Freesia alba'' 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'' File:Freesia viridis.jpg, ''Freesia viridis'' in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Volume 31: t. 1275, as ''Tritonia viridis''

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 Africabr>seedless Lemon Plant