Photo by Peter Thompson, Eol.org.
A plant in culture from Macgardens.org.
The white flowers from SA Plants;
Wikimedia.org.
The pale yellow flowers by Cameron
McMaster, Africanplants.senckenberg.de. |
| Author: |
John Bellenden Ker Gawler,
1804 | |
Family: |
IRIDACEAE |
| Origin: |
S South Africa (S+W
Australia) |
| Soil: |
Sandy |
| Water: |
Medium |
| Sun: |
Maximum |
| Thickness: |
2 Centimetres |
| Height: |
15-30 Centimetres |
| Flower: |
White/Magenta - Pale Yellow |
| Propagate: |
Seeds/Corms |
| Names: |
Sickle Eveninglily |
| Synonyms: |
Ixia falcata, L.f.,
1782.
Hesperantha linearis, Fourc.
Hesperantha lutea, Eckl. ex Baker.
Hesperantha pallida, Eckl.
Hesperantha pentheri, Baker.
Hesperantha trifolia, R.C. Foster.
Hesperantha falcata, subsp. lutea*, Goldblatt & J.C.Manning,
2015 = Geissorhiza lutea, Eckl., 1827. |
This member of the
Iridaceae family
was given this name by John Bellenden Ker Gawler in 1804. It is found in
Southern South Africa, growing in a sandy soil with some water and lots
of sun. The corm can grow to
two centimetres in diameter, the entire plant
to 15 or even 30 centimetres in height. The flowers are either white with a
white or magenta outer or yellow.
*) There seems to be
two types: The white-flowered plants are sweetly fragrant in late
afternoon and evening, while the cream-flowered plants open during
middle of day and are unscented. The yellow is now subsp. lutea,
thanks to Peter Goldblatt and JohnC. Manning, 2015. It prefer a
clayish soil.
The species name
from Latin; hesperius; 'towards evening' after the time of
flowering. The species name means 'sickle shaped'.
This is a winter
grower in the wild. |
