Babiana stricta, the baboon flower[1] or blue freesia,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae, native to Cape Province, South Africa and naturalized in Australia.[3]
| Babiana stricta | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Genus: | Babiana |
| Species: | B. stricta
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| Binomial name | |
| Babiana stricta | |
Description
editGrowing 10–30 cm (4–12 in) tall by 5 cm (2 in) broad, it is a cormous perennial with hairy leaves 4–12 cm (2–5 in) long.[4] The leaves show linear venation. It is a bulb-like plant that produces upright fans of pleated, slightly hairy, and sword-shaped 6 inch leaves. The leaves emerge in mid-winter and are followed by short spikes with blue or purple cup-shaped flowers in the spring. The flowers usually bloom for 3 or 4 weeks, after that, the leaves and flowers die.[5]
The specific epithet stricta means "erect, upright".[6]
Cultivation
editThere are many hybrids and cultivars with different colored flowers, usually blue or pink with white additions. In mid- to late spring, each flowering stem produces six or more blooms, each to 5 cm (2 in) across. They are grouped in an inflorescence and often have a pleasant lemon scent. The seeds are black with a hard coat, collected in round seed capsules.[7]
Babiana stricta is tender (USDA Zones 8–10)[8] and in temperate zones is planted in containers and stored in winter at 5 °C (41 °F).[9]
This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Babiana stricta". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
- ^ a b "RHS Plant Selector - Babiana stricta". Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
- ^ "Babiana stricta, Baboon Flower, Bulb/Tuber/Rhizome etc.,". www.smgrowers.com. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
- ^ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN 9781845337315.
- ^ Goldblatt, P. & Manning, J.C. (2007). A revision of the southern African genus Babiana, Iridaceae: Crocoideae. Strelitzia 18: 1-98. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- ^ "Hirt's Gardens". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
- ^ Van Meuwen
External links
edit- Dressler, S.; Schmidt, M. & Zizka, G. (2014). "Babiana stricta". African plants – a Photo Guide. Frankfurt/Main: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg.
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