''Watsonia'' (bugle lily) is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
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 ...
, subfamily Crocoideae. Watsonias are native to southern
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
(
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 ...
,
Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...
,
Eswatini).
[Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]
/ref> The genus is named after Sir William Watson, an 18th-century British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
.
Diversity
There are 56 accepted species in southern Africa, with two varieties and about 112 names either unresolved or regarded as synonyms. All are perennial herbs growing from 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 ' ...
s and producing erect spikes of showy flowers. Most are fynbos
Fynbos (; meaning fine plants) is a small belt of natural shrubland or heathland vegetation located in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. This area is predominantly coastal and mountainous, with a Mediterranean clim ...
plants, adapted to a Mediterranean-type climate, but some occur along the eastern and inland areas of the country and adapted to a wider range of conditions, mainly continental climate with summer rainfall. Many species occur mainly in the mountains, though some occur in sandy flats and marshy areas.
Cultivation
The most commonly cultivated species is the pink-flowered '' Watsonia borbonica'' and its white mutant 'Arderne's White'. These were crossed with ''Watsonia meriana Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' and other species in the early 20th century by breeders including John Cronin in Australia and Luther Burbank
Luther Burbank (March 7, 1849 – April 11, 1926) was an American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science.
He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank's varied creations inc ...
in California to produce a wide range of cultivars. ''Watsonia'' has been eclipsed in popularity by ''Gladiolus
''Gladiolus'' (from Latin, the diminutive of ''gladius'', a sword) is a genus of perennial cormous flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae).
It is sometimes called the 'sword lily', but is usually called by its generic name (plural ''g ...
'' and other bulbs, and is now neglected by the nursery industry.
Distribution
Native to South Africa, ''Watsonia'' species were introduced as garden ornamentals to Australia in the mid-19th century and were widely grown by the 1940s.
In the South-West of Western Australia, six species have become naturalised from garden escapes along rivers, wetlands and seasonally wet ground. In places ''Watsonia'' spp. have displaced native understorey flora; concentrations of them create a fire hazard in summer.
''Watsonia meriana Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
var. bulbillifera'' is also a weed in New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, Réunion
Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
and Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
.
Systematics
The genus comprises 58 species.
* ''Watsonia aletroides Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' (Burm.f.) Ker Gawl.
* ''Watsonia amabilis Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' Goldblatt
* ''Watsonia amatolae Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' Goldblatt
* ''Watsonia angusta Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' Ker Gawl.
* ''Watsonia bachmannii Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' L.Bolus
* ''Watsonia bella Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' N.E.Br. ex Goldblatt
* '' Watsonia borbonica'' (Pourr.) Goldblatt
* '' Watsonia borbonica'' subsp. ''ardernei'' (Sander) Goldblatt
* '' Watsonia borbonica'' subsp. ''borbonica''
* '' Watsonia canaliculata'' Goldblatt
* '' Watsonia coccinea'' (Herb. ex Baker) Baker
* ''Watsonia confusa Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' Goldblatt
* ''Watsonia densiflora Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' Baker
* ''Watsonia distans Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia dubia'' Eckl. ex Klatt
* '' Watsonia elsiae'' Goldblatt
* '' Watsonia emiliae'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia fergusoniae'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia fourcadei'' J.W.Mathews & L.Bolus
* ''Watsonia galpinii Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia gladioloides'' Schltr.
* '' Watsonia humilis'' Mill.
* '' Watsonia hysterantha'' J.W.Mathews & L.Bolus
* ''Watsonia inclinata Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' Goldblatt
* '' Watsonia knysnana'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia laccata'' (Jacq.) Ker Gawl.
* ''Watsonia latifolia Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' N.E.Br. ex Oberm.
* '' Watsonia lepida'' N.E.Br.
* '' Watsonia ×'' longifolia J.W.Mathews & L.Bolus
* ''Watsonia marginata
''Watsonia marginata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae known by the common name fragrant bugle-lily. It is native to the Cape Provinces of South Africa, but it is well known as an ornamental plant grown in gardens for its ...
'' (L.f.) Ker Gawl.
* ''Watsonia marlothii Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' L.Bolus
* ''Watsonia meriana Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' (L.) Mill.
* ''Watsonia meriana Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' var. ''bulbillifera'' (J.W.Mathews & L.Bolus) D.A.Cooke
* ''Watsonia meriana Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' var. ''meriana''
* ''Watsonia minima Watsonia can refer to:
* Watsonia (gastropod), ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* Watsonia (plant), ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* Watsonia (journal), ''Watsonia'' (journ ...
'' Goldblatt
* '' Watsonia mtamvunae'' Goldblatt
* '' Watsonia obrienii'' V. Tibergen
* '' Watsonia occulta'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia paucifolia'' Goldblatt
* ''Watsonia pillansii Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' L.Bolus
* ''Watsonia pondoensis Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' Goldblatt
* '' Watsonia pulchra'' N.E.Br. ex Goldblatt
* '' Watsonia rogersii'' L.Bolus
* ''Watsonia rourkei Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' Goldblatt
* ''Watsonia schlechteri Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia spectabilis'' Schinz
* '' Watsonia stenosiphon'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia stokoei'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia strictiflora'' Ker Gawl.
* '' Watsonia strubeniae'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia tabularis'' J.W.Mathews & L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia transvaalensis'' Baker
* '' Watsonia vanderspuyae'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia versfeldii'' J.W.Mathews & L.Bolus
* ''Watsonia watsonioides Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' (Baker) Oberm.
* ''Watsonia wilmaniae Watsonia can refer to:
* ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* ''Watsonia'' (journal), now the ''New Journal of Botany''
* Watsonia, Victor ...
'' J.W.Mathews & L.Bolus
* ''Watsonia wilmsii Watsonia can refer to:
* Watsonia (gastropod), ''Watsonia'' (gastropod), a genus of sea snails in the family Caecidae
* Watsonia (plant), ''Watsonia'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the iris family
* Watsonia (journal), ''Watsonia'' (journ ...
'' L.Bolus
* '' Watsonia zeyheri'' L.Bolus
See also
* List of plants known as lily Lily usually refers to herbaceous plants of the genus ''Lilium'', with large showy trumpet-shaped flowers. Many species are cultivated as ornamentals.
Many other plants not closely related to lilies are called lilies, usually because their flowers ...
Notes
References
* Goldblatt, P. (1989) The Genus Watsonia. Ann. Kirstenbosch Bot. Gard. 19. (National Botanic Gardens: Cape Town).
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q139122
Iridaceae genera
Iridaceae
Flora of Southern Africa
Taxa named by Philip Miller