Genus of flowering plants
Freesia
is a
genus
of
herbaceous
perennial
flowering plants
in the family
Iridaceae
, 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
south to
South Africa
, most species being found in
Cape Provinces
.
[1]
Species of the former genus
Anomatheca
are now included in
Freesia
.
[1]
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
[
edit
]
They are
herbaceous
plants which grow from a conical
corm
1?2.5 cm (
1
⁄
2
?1 in) diameter, which sends up a tuft of narrow
leaves
10?30 cm (4?12 in) long, and a sparsely branched stem 10?40 cm (4?16 in) tall bearing a few leaves and a loose one-sided spike of
flowers
with six
petals
. Many species have fragrant narrowly funnel-shaped
flowers
, although those formerly placed in the genus
Anomatheca
, such as
F. laxa
, have flat flowers.
Freesias are used as food plants by the
larvae
of some
Lepidoptera
species including the
large yellow underwing
.
[
citation needed
]
Systematics
[
edit
]
The genus was named in honor of
Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese
(1795?1876), a German physician.
[2]
- Species
[1]
- 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, Reunion, 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
:
[1]
Cultivation and uses
[
edit
]
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
cultivars
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.
[3]
Freesias can be readily increased from seed. Due to their specific and pleasing scent, they are often used in hand creams, shampoos, candles, etc.
[
citation needed
]
; 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.
[4]
[5]
-
Freesia plants in native habitat
-
Freesia alba
(
F. leichtlinii subsp. alba
)
-
Freesia caryophyllacea
-
Freesia corymbosa
-
Freesia grandiflora
-
Freesia laxa
-
Freesia refracta
(garden
cultivar
)
-
Variety of freesia cultivars
-
Mauve
-colored freesia cultivar
-
Freesia verrucosa
-
Freesia viridis
in
Curtis's Botanical Magazine
, Volume 31: t. 1275, as
Tritonia viridis
-
Freesia viridis subsp. crispifolia
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Search for "Freesia",
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
,
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
, retrieved
2012-08-13
- ^
Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2008).
The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification
. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 149?52.
ISBN
978-0-88192-897-6
.
- ^
Dutch flowerpaper, Bloemenkrant, publisher Verhagen, week 12-2015, see also
http://issuu.com/twovisions/docs/bk_week_12_15?e=1360358/11894263
- ^
Mathew, Brian (1987),
The Smaller Bulbs
, London: B.T. Batsford,
ISBN
978-0-7134-4922-8
, p. 9
- ^
Innes, Clive (1985),
The World of Iridaceae
, Ashington, UK: Holly Gate International,
ISBN
978-0-948236-01-3
, p. 18
Bibliography
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Freesia
.