| Freesia | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| no image | ||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||
|
Freesia corymbosa Freesia laxa | ||||||||||||
| References | ||||||||||||
| ITIS 43291 2003-10-19 |
The freesia is a type of flower belonging to the Iris family (Iridaceae), and containing a single species, F. refracta, native at the Cape of Good Hope. The plants grow from a corm (a solid bulb, as in Gladiolus) which sends up a tuft of long narrow leaves and a slightly branched stem bearing a few leaves and loose one-sided spikes of fragrant narrowly funnel-shaped flowers. Several varieties are known in cultivation, differing in the color of the flower, which is white, cream or yellow. They form pretty greenhouse plants which are readily increased from seed.