Sparaxis

Sparaxis is a genus of cormous, deciduous perennials in the Iridaceae family. The corms are covered in hard or soft fibres and root from below. The hard fibres may thicken into vertical claws. The cylindrical stems are simple or branched.

Several basal leaves are grown in a fan-shape, as well as two or three cataphylls. The leaves are lance-shaped to sword-shaped and fleshy with prominent midribs and fine, closely set secondary veins.

The inflorescence is a spike of a variable number of flowers, arranged spiralling or secund. The thin, membranous, floral bracts are crinkly and soon dry, pale with brown streaks, sometimes translucent and irregularly fringed. The outer bract is often three-pointed, bigger than the inner one that is often two-pointed. The generic name, Sparaxis, is derived from the Greek verb, sparasso, meaning to tear, referring to these bracts that are lacerated or split into sections.

The bell-shaped flowers are laterally or radially symmetrical, two-lipped or round. The funnel-shaped perianth tubes vary in length, sometimes bent in their upper parts. Floral colouring is usually cream or yellow with purple shading, or purple to blue, pink, orange or yellow. Sometimes scented, the floral fragrance is not always pleasant. Some species have nectaries, others produce no nectar. The tepals are unequal and dissimilar or nearly equal, the dorsal one sometimes hooded and the lower three united with the upper laterals at the base. The three stamens are erect or arched, the anthers straight, S-shaped or coiled. The style is exserted, its three short branches together or expanded.

The fruit capsules are oblong or barrel-shaped and cartilaginous. The seeds are globose or partly flattened, hard and shiny.

There are 15 Sparaxis species, all in the Western Cape and the Northern Cape winter rainfall region. Most grow in clay soil renosterveld and fynbos, some in coastal sandveld.

Hybrids of some colourful species are popular in gardening. Sparaxis flowers are often commonly called fluweeltjies (little velvets) in Afrikaans.

The plant in picture is Sparaxis roxburghii (Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Curtis-Scott, et al, 2020; Manning 2009).