''Freesia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of herbaceous

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Iridaceae Iridaceae is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the irises, meaning rainbow, referring to its many colours. There are 66 accepted genera with a total of c. 2244 species worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016). It include ...

, 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 ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

south to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, most species being found in

Cape Provinces The Cape Provinces of South Africa is a biogeographical area used in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD). It is part of the WGSRPD region 27 Southern Africa. The area has the code "CPP". It includes the Sout ...

. Species of the former genus ''Anomatheca'' are now included in ''Freesia''. 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

They are herbaceous plants which grow from a conical

corm A corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (perennation). The word ' ...

diameter, which sends up a tuft of narrow leaves long, and a sparsely branched stem tall bearing a few leaves and a loose one-sided spike of

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s with six petals. Many species have fragrant narrowly funnel-shaped

s, although those formerly placed in the genus ''Anomatheca'', such as '' F. laxa'', have flat flowers. Freesias are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some Lepidoptera species including the

large yellow underwing The large yellow underwing (''Noctua pronuba'') is a moth, the type species for the family Noctuidae. It is an abundant species throughout the Palearctic realm, one of the most common and most familiar moths of the region. In some years the speci ...

Systematics

The genus was named in honor of Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese (1795–1876), a German physician. ; SpeciesSearch for "Freesia", * ''

Freesia andersoniae ''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 ...

'' L.Bolus - the

, Free State * ''

Freesia caryophyllacea ''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 ...

'' (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 ''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 ...

'' (Burm.f.) N.E.Br. (syn. ''F. armstrongii'' W.Watson, ''F. brevis'' N.E.Br.) - the Cape Provinces * ''

Freesia fergusoniae ''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 ...

'' L.Bolus - the Cape Provinces * ''

Freesia fucata ''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 ...

'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt - Hoeks River Valley in the Cape Provinces * ''

Freesia grandiflora ''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 ...

'' (Baker) Klatt - Zaire, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, northeastern South Africa * ''

Freesia laxa ''Freesia laxa'', commonly known as flowering grass, is a small species of cormous flowering plant in the family Iridaceae, from eastern and southern Africa, from Kenya to northeastern South Africa. It is grown in gardens as an ornamental plant. ...

'' (Thunb.) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning (syn. ''F. cruenta'' (Lindl.) Klatt) - from Rwanda + Kenya south to the Cape Provinces; naturalized in Madeira, Mauritius, Réunion, Australia, Florida, Argentina * ''

Freesia leichtlinii ''Freesia leichtlinii'' is a species of herb in the family Iridaceae Iridaceae is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the irises, meaning rainbow, referring to its many colours. There are 66 accepted genera with a ...

'' Klatt (syn. ''F. middlemostii'' F.Barker, ''F. muirii'' N.E.Br.) - the Cape Provinces; naturalized in Corsica, California, Florida, Argentina * ''

Freesia marginata ''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 ...

'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt - the Cape Provinces * ''

Freesia occidentalis ''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 ...

'' L.Bolus (syn. ''F. framesii'' L.Bolus) - the Cape Provinces * ''

Freesia praecox ''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 ...

'' J.C.Manning & Goldblatt - the Cape Provinces * ''

Freesia refracta ''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 ...

'' (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'': * ''Anomatheca cruenta'' Lindl. = ''

'' subsp. ''laxa'' * ''Anomatheca grandiflora'' Baker = ''

'' * ''Anomatheca juncea'' (Pourr.) Ker Gawl. = '' Freesia verrucosa'' * ''Anomatheca laxa'' (Thunb.) Goldblatt = ''

'' * ''Anomatheca verrucosa'' (B.Vogel) Goldblatt = '' Freesia verrucosa'' * ''Anomatheca viridis'' (Aiton) Goldblatt = '' Freesia viridis'' * ''Anomatheca xanthospila'' (DC.) Ker Gawl. = ''

Cultivation and uses

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

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s have been bred from these species and the pink- and yellow-flowered forms of ''Freesia corymbosa''. Modern

tetraploid Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than one pair of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two sets of chromosomes, where each set contains ...

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.Dutch flowerpaper, Bloemenkrant, publisher Verhagen, week 12-2015, see also http://issuu.com/twovisions/docs/bk_week_12_15?e=1360358/11894263 Freesias can be readily increased from seed. Due to their specific and pleasing scent, they are often used in hand creams, shampoos, candles, etc.; 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., p. 9, p. 18 File:Flower March 2010-2.jpg, ''Freesia alba'' File:Freesia corymbosa KirstenboshBotGard09292010wildformB.jpg, ''Freesia corymbosa'' File:Freesia grandiflora KirstenboshBotGard09292010A.jpg, ''Freesia grandiflora'' File:Anomatheca laxa01.JPG, ''Freesia laxa'' File:FreesiaRefracta2.jpg, ''Freesia refracta'' File:Freesia viridis.jpg, ''Freesia viridis'' in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Volume 31: t. 1275, as ''Tritonia viridis''

References

Bibliography

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

External links

*
Freesias photos of International Bulb Society

Freesias photos of Pacific Bulb Society

Freesia info and pictures

{{Authority control Iridaceae genera Flora of Africabr>seedless Lemon Plant