Tritonia (plant) explained

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]

• Tritonia atrorubens L.Bolus - Cape Province
• Tritonia bakeri Klatt - Cape Province
• Tritonia cedarmontana Goldblatt & J.C.Manning - Cedarberg in Cape Province
• Tritonia chrysantha Fourc. - Cape Province
• Tritonia cooperi (Baker) Klatt - Cape Province
• Tritonia crocata (L.) Ker Gawl. - Cape Province
• Tritonia delpierrei M.P.de Vos - Cape Province
• Tritonia deusta (Aiton) Ker Gawl. - Cape Province
• Tritonia disticha (Klatt) Baker - South Africa, Eswatini
• Tritonia drakensbergensis M.P.de Vos - Cape Province
• Tritonia dubia Eckl. ex Klatt - Cape Province
• Tritonia flabellifolia (D.Delaroche) G.J.Lewis - Cape Province
• Tritonia florentiae (Marloth) Goldblatt - Cape Province
• Tritonia gladiolaris (Lam.) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning - South Africa, Lesotho; naturalized in Australia
• Tritonia kamisbergensis Klatt - Cape Province
• Tritonia karooica M.P.de Vos - Cape Province
• Tritonia lancea (Thunb.) N.E.Br. - Cape Province
• Tritonia laxifolia (Klatt) Baker - South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania
• Tritonia linearifolia Goldblatt & J.C.Manning - Cape Province
• Tritonia marlothii M.P.de Vos - Cape Province
• Tritonia moggii Oberm. - Mozambique
• Tritonia nelsonii Baker - Botswana, Northern Province of South Africa
• Tritonia pallida Ker Gawl. - Cape Province
• Tritonia parvula N.E.Br. - Cape Province
• Tritonia securigera (Aiton) Ker Gawl. - Cape Province
• Tritonia squalida (Aiton) Ker Gawl. - Cape Province; naturalized in Australia
• Tritonia tugwelliae L.Bolus - Cape Province
• Tritonia undulata (Burm.f.) Baker - Cape Province

External links

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World Checklist Series

Notes and References

1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=325235 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
2. Innes, C. (1985). The World of Iridaceae: 1-407. Holly Gare International Ltd., Ashington
3. Book: Manning, John . Goldblatt, Peter . The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification . Timber Press . Portland, Oregon. 186–89 . 2008. 978-0-88192-897-6.