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Freesia
	Cultivated freesias
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae;
(unranked):	Angiosperms;
(unranked):	Monocots;
Order:	Asparagales;
Family:	Iridaceae;
Subfamily:	Ixioideae;
Tribe:	Freesieae;
Genus:	Freesia; Klatt
Type species
	Freesia refracta; (Jacquin) Klatt
Species
	See text.

For the manga, see Freesia (manga).

Freesia Ecklon ex Klatt is a genus of 14–16 species of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, native to Africa. Of the 14 species, 12 are native to Cape Province, South Africa, the remaining two to tropical Africa, one species extending north of the equator to Sudan.

The genus was named in honor of Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese (1795–1876), German physician.^[1]

They are herbaceous plants which grow from a corm 1–2.5 cm diameter, which sends up a tuft of narrow leaves 10–30 cm long, and a sparsely branched stem 10–40 cm tall bearing a few leaves and a loose one-sided spike of fragrant narrowly funnel-shaped flowers.

Species

Freesia alba
Freesia andersoniae
Freesia caryophyllacea
Freesia corymbosa
Freesia fergusoniae
Freesia fucata
Freesia grandiflora
Freesia laxa (syn. Anomatheca laxa, Lapeirousia laxa)
Freesia leichtlinii
Freesia occidentalis
Freesia refracta
Freesia sparrmannii
Freesia speciosa
Freesia verrucosa
Freesia viridis (syn. Anomatheca viridis)

Freesias are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Large Yellow Underwing.

[edit] Cultivation and uses

Freesias are very popular garden plants, grown for their often strongly scented flowers. The most commonly cultivated species is F. refracta, which was crossed with F. leichtlinii in the 19th century. Numerous cultivars have been bred from these species and the pink- and yellow-flowered forms of F. corymbosa. Modern tetraploid cultivars have flowers ranging from white to yellow, pink, red and blue-mauve. They are widely cultivated and readily increased from seed. Due to their specific and pleasing scent, they are often used in hand creams, shampoos, candles, etc.

[edit] References

^ Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2008). The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 149–52. ISBN 0-88192-897-6.

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

[edit] External links

"Freesia". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.

[Goldblatt2008-0] Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2008). The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 149–52. ISBN 0-88192-897-6.

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