Straight Babiana

Family Iridaceae. Corm with a long neck, 1.5 - 1.8 cm wide, tunic fibrous, breaking up into separate fibers at the base. Stem 15-30 cm tall, erect, slender.

Leaves shorter than the stem, fairly broad, sword-shaped, pubescent, resembling the leaves of Gladiolus or Tigridia in appearance. Inflorescence - a compact raceme of 5-6 or more flowers. Flowers red or lilac, funnel-shaped, with a tube equal to or slightly exceeding the plicate pubescent bracts, 3-3.5 cm long; perianth segments obtuse, 2-2.5 cm long. Blooming begins in August-September, lasting 3-4 weeks.

Sometimes the very beautiful Babiana plicata (B.plicata) is cultivated, whose tubular flowers are 5 cm long with a purple-white or cream spot on the "petals". Also attractive is the red-blue Babiana (B. rubro-cyanea), which has pinkish-lilac flowers with a red throat - see photo.