Tritonia (plant)

Tritonia
Tritonia crocata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Subfamily: Crocoideae
Tribe: Croceae
Genus: Tritonia
Ker Gawl.
Type species
Tritonia squalida
(Aiton) Ker Gawl.
Synonyms[1]
  • Waitzia Rchb.
  • Montbretia DC.
  • Belendenia Raf.
  • Tritonixia Klatt
  • Montbretiopsis L.Bolus

Tritonia (flame freesia) is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family first described as a genus in 1802. They are naturally distributed across southern Africa, with a high concentration of species in Cape Province of western South Africa.[1] The genus is closely related to the genus Ixia.

Tritonia are small bulbous plants up to 80 cm, that appear in great numbers in spring. The leaves are fan-shaped. The flowers are shades of yellow, orange or brown, sweet-smelling, and give off a very strong fragrance, especially at night. They are not grazed.[2]

The genus name is derived from the Latin word triton, meaning "weathervane", and alludes to the apparently random arrangement of the stamens in some species.[3]

Cultivation

Hardiness: Zones 8–11

Species[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Innes, C. (1985). The World of Iridaceae: 1-407. Holly Gare International Ltd., Ashington
  3. ^ Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2008). The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 186–89. ISBN 978-0-88192-897-6.


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