Freesia

Plant Characteristics

Lifespan:	⌛	[[Lifespan::Perennial]]
Origin:	✈	S Africa

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	Sun"Sun" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property., Indoors"Indoors" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property.
Water:	◍	regular during growth/bloom"regular during growth/bloom" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property.
Features:	✓	Flowers, Fragrance, Naturalizes
Sunset Zones:		8, 9, 12-24, 28, indoors

Scientific Names

Iridaceae >

Freesia >

Flowers give of a rich perfume. White or yellow blooms tend to have strongest perfume. Row of 2 inch tubular flowers appear on stems about the same height as leaves. Flowers may be single or double, white, yellow, pink, red, orange, purple, lavender, blue or various combination's of these colors.

Cultivation

Freesia calendar?
January:	flowering**
February:	flowering**
March:	flowering**
April:	plant*
May:
June:
July:	plant**
August:	plant**, flowering*
September:	flowering*
October:	flowering*
November:
December:
Notes: *outdoors, **indoors

In mild climates, plant 2-3in (508cm) deep and apart (pointed end up) in autumn for spring flowering, or in the spring for summer flowering. After flowering, the leaves and stems will dry up, and then sprout from the corms again the next fall.

In cold climates, plant 2in deep indoors in a pot, and 2in apart. Keep in sunny window, with night temperatures as cool as you can. Use a soil-based potting soil with added grit.

Propagation

Freesia will self-sow if dead flower stems are left alone, though seedling may revert to simple white or cream flowers. Corms will quickly multiply underground. If you purchase or collect seeds, they can be planted in July-August and should sprout easily, possibly blooming their first spring.

Pests and diseases

Freesias are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Large Yellow Underwing.

Species

There are 14-16 species of Freesia, all native to Africa. Of the 14 species, 12 are native to Cape Province, South Africa, the remaining two to tropical Africa, one species extending north of the equator to Sudan. F. refracta is the most commonly grown species, which during the 19th century got crossed with F. leichtlinii. Many cultivars arose from those species, as well as pink and yellow flowering F. corymbosa.

• Freesia alba
• Freesia andersoniae
• Freesia caryophyllacea
• Freesia corymbosa
• Freesia fergusoniae
• Freesia fucata
• Freesia grandiflora
• Freesia iwuzhere
• Freesia laxa (syn. Anomatheca laxa, Lapeirousia laxa)
• Freesia leichtlinii
• Freesia occidentalis
• Freesia refracta
• Freesia sparrmannii
• Freesia speciosa
• Freesia verrucosa
• Freesia viridis (syn. Anomatheca viridis)

Gallery

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References

• w:Freesia. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Freesia QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)
• American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432
• Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608