Watsonia (plant)

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Watsonia
Watsonia fulgens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Asparagales Family: Iridaceae Genus: Watsonia Miller
Species
52 species, including: Watsonia aletroides Watsonia amabilis Watsonia amatolae Watsonia angusta Watsonia bachmannii Watsonia bella Watsonia borbonica Watsonia canaliculata Watsonia coccinea Watsonia confusa Watsonia densiflora Watsonia distans Watsonia dubia Watsonia elsiae Watsonia emiliae Watsonia fergusoniae Watsonia fourcadei Watsonia galpinii Watsonia gladioloides Watsonia humilis Watsonia hysterantha Watsonia inclinata Watsonia knysnana Watsonia laccata Watsonia latifolia Watsonia lepida Watsonia marginata Watsonia marlothii Watsonia meriana Watsonia minima Watsonia mtamvunae Watsonia occulta Watsonia paucifolia Watsonia pillansii Watsonia pondoensis Watsonia pulchra Watsonia rogersii Watsonia rourkei Watsonia schlechteri Watsonia spectabilis Watsonia stenosiphon Watsonia stokoei Watsonia strictiflora Watsonia strubeniae Watsonia tabularis Watsonia transvaalensis Watsonia vanderspuyiae Watsonia versfeldii Watsonia watsonioides Watsonia wilmaniae Watsonia wilmsii Watsonia zeyheri

Watsonia (Bugle Lily) is a genus of plants in the iris family, subfamily Crocoideae, native to South Africa. The genus is named after Sir William Watson, a British botanist.

There are 52 species in southern Africa; all are perennial herbs growing from corms and producing erect spikes of showy flowers, and are adapted to a mediterranean-type climate.

The most common species in cultivation is the pink-flowered Watsonia borbonica and its white mutant 'Arderne's White'. These were crossed with Watsonia meriana and other species in the early 20th century by breeders including John Cronin in Australia and Luther Burbank in California to produce a wide range of cultivars. Watsonia has been eclipsed in popularity by Gladiolus and other bulbs, and is now neglected by the nursery industry.

In the South-West of Western Australia, six species have become naturalised from garden escapes along rivers, wetlands and seasonally wet ground. In places Watsonia spp. have displaced native understorey flora; concentrations of them create a fire hazard in summer.

[edit] References

Goldblatt, P. (1989) The Genus Watsonia. Ann. Kirstenbosch Bot. Gard. 19. (National Botanic Gardens: Cape Town).

Hussey, BMJ; Keighery GJ, Cousens RD, Dodd J, Lloyd SG (1997). Western Weeds: A Guide to the Weeds of Western Australia. Perth: Plant Protection Society of WA. ISBN 0 646 32440 3.