''Freesia laxa'', commonly known as flowering grass,
[ is a small ]species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of 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 ' ...
ous 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 ...
in the family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Iridaceae, from eastern and southern Africa, from Kenya to northeastern South Africa.[ It is grown in gardens as an ]ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
.
Description
''Freesia laxa'' grows from corms, reaching about tall. The green leaves are arranged in a flat "fan" from which the flower stalk emerges. The flowers are flattened, about across. Their colour varies considerably. The ground colour is red, white or pale blue. The bases of the lowest three tepals
A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
usually have a darker marking, which may be red or purple, although it is absent in the pure white form. The seeds are bright red.[, p. 9][, p. 18]
It is native to the eastern side of southern Africa,[ from ]Kenya
)
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, capital = Nairobi
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to South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
,[ where it grows in somewhat moist conditions. It dies down to a corm in the winter, growing again at the end of spring and flowering in summer.][ In the wild, in the Southern Hemisphere, it flowers between October and December.][
]
Systematics
This small bulbous species has been known by a variety of names. The name ''Gladiolus laxus'' was originally published by Carl Thunberg
Carl Peter Thunberg, also known as Karl Peter von Thunberg, Carl Pehr Thunberg, or Carl Per Thunberg (11 November 1743 – 8 August 1828), was a Swedish naturalist and an "apostle" of Carl Linnaeus. After studying under Linnaeus at Uppsala Un ...
in 1823. Peter Goldblatt
Peter Goldblatt (born 1943) is a South African botanist, working principally in the United States.
Life
Goldblatt was born in Johannesburg, South Africa on October 8, 1943. His undergraduate studies (B.Sc.) were undertaken at the University ...
transferred the species to ''Anomatheca laxa'' in 1971; Nicholas Brown changed it to ''Lapeirousia laxa'' in 1928; Goldblatt with his colleague John Charles Manning
John Charles Manning (born 1962) is a South African botanist based in the Compton Herbarium, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch, South Africa.
References
External sources
20th-century South African botanists
...
settled on ''Freesia laxa'' in 1995.John Lindley
John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.
Early years
Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...
described ''Anomatheca cruenta'' which John Baker transferred to ''Lapeirousia cruenta'' in 1892.[
Forms with blue flowers are treated as ''Freesia laxa'' subsp. ''azurea'', other forms being placed in ''Freesia laxa'' subsp. ''laxa''.][
]
Cultivation
''Freesia laxa'' is sufficiently hardy to be grown outdoors in all but the coldest parts of the British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
.[ It requires a light soil and a sunny position. In colder areas, the corms can be lifted and dried off during the winter. It can be propagated by dividing groups of corms or by seed.][ It can be somewhat invasive through self-sowing when grown in favourable conditions.]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, ...
''F. laxa'' var. ''alba'' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...
's Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
.
References
*
External links
''Freesia laxa''
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5501152
laxa
Garden plants
Flora of Africa
Plants described in 1823