Ixia is a genus of cormous plants native to South Africa from the family Iridaceae. Some of them are known as the corn lily. Some distinctive traits include sword-like leaves and long wiry stems with star-shaped flowers. It usually prefers well-drained soil. The popular corn lily has specific, not very intense fragrance. It is often visited by many insects such as bees. The Ixia are also used sometimes as ornamental plants. The genus is endemic to the Cape Provinces of western South Africa.
The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek ἰξία (ixia) ( = χαμαιλέων λευκός, (chamaeleon leukos)), the pine thistle, Carlina gummifera, an unrelated plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae.
Species The genus Ixia includes the following species:
Ixia abbreviata Houtt. Ixia acaulis Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia alata Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia alticola Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia altissima Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia angelae Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia arenosa Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia atrandra Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia aurea J.C.Manning & Goldblatt Ixia bellendenii R.C.Foster Ixia bifolia J.C.Manning & Goldblatt Ixia brevituba G.J.Lewis Ixia brunneobractea G.J.Lewis Ixia calendulacea Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia campanulata Houtt. Ixia capillaris L.f. Ixia cedarmontana Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia cochlearis G.J.Lewis Ixia collina Goldblatt & Snijman Ixia confusa (G.J.Lewis) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia contorta Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia curta Andrews Ixia curvata G.J.Lewis Ixia dieramoides Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia divaricata Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia dolichosiphon Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia dubia Vent. Ixia ecklonii Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia erubescens Goldblatt Ixia esterhuyseniae M.P.de Vos Ixia exiliflora Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia flagellaris Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia flexuosa L. Ixia frederickii M.P.de Vos Ixia fucata Ker Gawl. Ixia fucata var. filifolia G.J.Lewis Ixia fucata var. fucata Ixia gloriosa G.J.Lewis Ixia helmei Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia lacerata Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia latifolia D.Delaroche Ixia latifolia var. angustifolia G.J.Lewis Ixia latifolia var. latifolia Ixia latifolia var. parviflora G.J.Lewis Ixia latifolia var. ramulosa G.J.Lewis Ixia leipoldtii G.J.Lewis Ixia leucantha Jacq. Ixia linderi Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia linearifolia Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia longistylis (M.P.de Vos) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia longituba N.E.Br. Ixia longituba var. bellendenii R.C.Foster Ixia longituba var. longituba Ixia lutea Sessé & Moc. Ixia lutea var. ovata (Andr.) B.Nord Ixia macrocarpa Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia maculata L. Ixia maculata var. fusco-citrina (Desf.ex DC) G.J.Lewis Ixia maculata var. intermedia G.J.Lewis Ixia marginifolia (Salisb) G.J.Lewis Ixia metelerkampiae L.Bolus Ixia micrandra Baker Ixia micrandra var. confusa G.JLewis Ixia micrandra var. micranda Ixia micrandra var. minor G.J.Lewis Ixia minor (G.J.Lewis) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia mollis Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia monadelpha D.Delaroche Ixia monticola Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia mostertii M.P.de Vos Ixia nutans Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia odorata Ker Gawl. Ixia odorata var. odorata Ixia orientalis L.Bolus Ixia oxalidiflora Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia paniculata D.Delaroche Ixia parva Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia patens Aiton Ixia patens var. patens Ixia pauciflora G.J.Lewis Ixia pavonia Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia polystachya L. Ixia polystachya var. lutea (Ker Gawl.) G.J.Lewis Ixia polystachya var. longistylus var. nova Ixia polystachya var. polystachya Ixia pumilio Goldblatt & Snijman Ixia purpureorosea G.J.Lewis Ixia ramulosa (G.J.Lewis) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia rapunculoides Redouté Ixia rapunculoides var. flaccida G.J.Lewis Ixia rapuncuolides var. namaquana (L.Bolus) G.J.Lewis Ixia rapunculoides var. rapunculoides Ixia rapunculoides var. rigida G.J.Lewis Ixia rapunculoides var. robusta G.J.Lewis Ixia rapunculoides var subpendula G.J..Lewis Ixia reclinata Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia recondita Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia rigida Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia rivulicola Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia robusta (G.J.Lewis) Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia roseoalba Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia rouxii G.J.Lewis Ixia sarmentosa Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia saundersiana Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia scillaris L. Ixia scillaris var. subundulata G.J.Lewis Ixia seracina Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia simulans Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia sobolifera Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia splendida G.J.Lewis Ixia stenophylla Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia stohriae L.Bolus Ixia stolonifera G.J.Lewis Ixia stricta (Eckl. ex Klatt) G.J.Lewis Ixia superba J.C.Manning & Goldblatt Ixia tenuifolia Vahl Ixia tenuis Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia teretifolia Goldblatt & J.C.Manning Ixia thomasiae Goldblatt Ixia trifolia G.J.Lewis Ixia trinervata (Baker) G.J.Lewis Ixia vanzijliae L.Bolus Ixia versicolor G.J.Lewis Ixia vinacea G.J.Lewis Ixia viridiflora Lam.
See also
List of plants known as lily
References
Bibliography