| Tritonia | |
|---|---|
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| Tritonia crocata | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Subfamily: | Crocoideae |
| Tribe: | Croceae |
| Genus: | Tritonia Ker Gawl. |
| Type species | |
| Tritonia squalida (Aiton) Ker Gawl.
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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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.[1] 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.[2]
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.[3]
- ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Innes, C. (1985). The World of Iridaceae: 1-407. Holly Gare International Ltd., Ashington
- ^ Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2008). The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 186–89. ISBN 978-0-88192-897-6.