Tigridia, the peacock flowers, tiger-flowers or shell flowers, is a genus of bulbous or cormous plants, belonging to the family Iridaceae. They have large showy flowers and one species, Tigridia pavonia, is often cultivated for this. The approximately thirty five species in this family grow in the Western Hemisphere, from Mexico to Chile. The tigridia flower is short lived, each often blooming for only one day, but often several flowers will bloom from the same stalk. Usually they are dormant during the winter dry-season. Its roots are edible and were eaten by the Aztecs of Mexico who called it cacomitl and its flower ocēlōxōchitl "Jaguar flower". The genus name means "tiger-like" and alludes to the coloration and spotting of the flowers of the type species Tigridia pavonia.
Libertia is a genus of monocotyledenous plants in the family Iridaceae, first described as a genus in 1824. It is native to South America, Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand. Seven species are endemic to New Zealand.
Olsynium is a genus of summer-dormant rhizomatous perennial flowering plants in the iris family Iridaceae, native to sunny hillsides in South America and western North America.
Orthrosanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae first described as a genus in 1827. It native to Australia, Mexico, Central and South America.
Nemastylis, or pleatleaf, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, first described as a genus in 1835. It is native to Mexico, Central America, and the southern part of the United States. The genus name is derived from the Greek words nema, meaning "thread", and stylos, meaning "pillar" or "rod".
Tigridieae is a tribe of plants in the subfamily Iridoideae and included in the family Iridaceae. It contains many perennials which have cormous rootstocks. The name of the tribe comes from its main genus - Tigridia. The tribe is native to the New World.
Alophia is a small genus of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants in the family Iridaceae. The genus comprise five known species that occur from the South-central United States as well as in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America.
Calydorea is a small genus of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants in the family Iridaceae native to Mexico and South America. The plants in the genus are small with tunicated bulbs. The flowers are light blue, violet, white, or yellow, depending on the species, of which there are around twenty. Taxonomists considered that the already known genera Salpingostylis, Cardiostigma, Catila and Itysa are not enough different from each other to justify their taxonomic segregation and, for this reason, all of them are now included in Calydorea.
Cypella is a genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the family Iridaceae. It is distributed in South America, from Peru and Brazil to Northern Argentina. The genus name is likely derived from the Greek word kyphella, meaning "hollow of the ear", and alludes to the shape of the inner tepals.
Cobana is a genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the family Iridaceae. A monotypic genus, it contains a single species, Cobana guatemalensis, distributed in Honduras and Guatemala.
Ennealophus is a genus of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants in the family Iridaceae. It consists in five species distributed from Ecuador to Northern Brazil and Northwest Argentina. The genus name is derived from the Greek words ennea, meaning "nine", and lophus, meaning "crest".
Herbertia is a small genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the family Iridaceae.
Cipura is a genus of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants in the family Iridaceae, related to the genus Cypella. The plants are widely distributed in Mexico, Central, the West Indies, and South America.
Zygotritonia is a genus of herbaceous, perennial and bulbous plants in the family Iridaceae. It contains four species distributed in Tropical Africa. The genus name is derived from the word zygomorphic, and the apparent resemblance to some species in the genus Tritonia.
Gelasine is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, first described in 1840. The entire group is endemic to South America.
Hesperoxiphion is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, first described as a genus in 1877. It is native to northwestern South America. The genus name is derived from the Greek words hesperos, meaning "western", and xiphos, meaning "sword".
Larentia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, first described as a genus in 1882. It is native to Mexico and South America.
Mastigostyla is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, first described as a genus in 1928. The entire group is endemic to South America. The genus name is derived from the Greek words mastigos, meaning "whip", and stylos, meaning "style".
Trimezia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, native to the warmer parts of southern Mexico, Central America, South America, Florida, and the West Indies. Trimezia is placed in the tribe Trimezieae. The division of the tribe into genera has varied considerably. In one approach, it contains only the genus Trimezia, which then includes the genera Neomarica, Pseudotrimezia and Pseudiris. In other approaches, two to five genera are recognized, sometimes also including the genus Deluciris.
Peter Goldblatt is a South African botanist, working principally in the United States.
