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.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 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.Innes, C. (1985). The World of Iridaceae: 1-407. Holly Gare International Ltd., Ashington
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.
Cultivation Hardiness: Zones 8–11
Species 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 strictifolia (Klatt) Pax - Cape Province Tritonia tugwelliae L.Bolus - Cape Province Tritonia undulata (Burm.f.) Baker - Cape Province Tritonia watermeyeri L.Bolus - Cape Province
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