Tritonia (plant)

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Tritonia
Tritonia crocata 1.jpg
Tritonia crocata
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
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]
  • WaitziaRchb.
  • MontbretiaDC.
  • BelendeniaRaf.
  • TritonixiaKlatt
  • MontbretiopsisL.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 .

Contents

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]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 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.