Babiana

Family: Iridaceae. Name: from the baboons that eat the bulbs of these plants.

Description: low-growing perennials with a corm. Stem simple or branched, weak in the inflorescence. Leaves ribbed, pleated and stiff, mostly pubescent, sometimes narrowing to a petiole, 3-5 per stem. Inflorescence short, of 3-7 flowers, racemose. Flowers solitary in the axil of bracts, predominantly lilac, but forms with pink, red and yellow flowers occur. Perianth with a short tube expanding upward, and six nearly equal lobes of an oval or ovate-lanceolate shape. There are 3 stamens attached inside the throat; they are considerably shorter than the perianth lobes. Ovary - a many-seeded, rounded capsule.

Place and soil: well-drained fertile soil and a sunny, wind-protected location.

Cultivation: not winter-hardy. In winter the corms are stored in peat in a dark, dry room at 18-20°C. They are planted at the end of April - beginning of May at a depth of 5-7 cm and spaced 10 cm apart. During the growing season it requires regular watering. It is dug up for the winter. In mild winters it may survive in the ground.

Propagation: by corms, by seed. From seed it develops slowly, flowering in northern conditions in the 3rd-4th year.

Usage: more often used for potted culture in protected conditions.