Flowers by post from Guernsey Freesias by post, Carnations by post

Freesia is a genus of herbaceous perennial flowering plant life in the family Iridaceae, first referred to as a genus in 1866 by Chr. Fr. Echlon (1795-1868) and called after German botanist and doctor Friedrich Freese (1794-1878). It is native to the eastern part of southern Africa, from Kenya south to South Africa, most types being within Cape Provinces. Varieties of the past genus Anomatheca are actually contained in Freesia. The plants often called "freesias", with fragrant funnel-shaped plants, are cultivated hybrids of a number of Freesia kinds. Some other varieties are also grown up as ornamental vegetation.

They are simply herbaceous plants which grow from a conical corm 1-2.5 cm diameter, which directs up a tuft of small leaves 10-30 cm long, and a sparsely branched stem 10-40 cm tall bearing a few leaves and a loose one-sided spike of bouquets with six tepals. Many species have fragrant narrowly funnel-shaped flowers, although those previously located in the genus Anomatheca, such as F. laxa, have chiseled flowers. Freesias are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera kinds including Large Yellow Underwing.

CULTIVATION AND USES

The crops usually called "freesias" derive from crosses made in the 19th century between F. refracta and F. leichtlinii. Numerous cultivars have been bred from these kinds and the pink- and yellow-flowered forms of F. corymbosa. Modern tetraploid cultivars have blooms which range from white to yellowish, pink, red and blue-mauve. They can be mostly cultivated appropriately in holland by about 80 growers.[3] Freesias can be conveniently increased from seed. Because of their specific and pleasing scent, they are often used in hand creams, shampoos, candles, etc.[citation needed], however, the plants are mainly utilized in wedding bouquets. They could be planted in the land in USDA Hardiness Zones 9-10 (i.e. where the temperature will not show up below about -7 ?C (20 ?F)), and in the spring and coil in Areas 4-8.

Freesia laxa (formerly called Lapeirousia laxa or Anomatheca cruenta) is one of the other kinds of the genus which is often cultivated. Smaller than the scented freesia cultivars, it includes flat somewhat than cup-shaped blooms. Extensive 'forcing' of this bulb occurs in Half Moon Bay in California where several growers chill the bulbs in proprietary solutions to satisfy chilly dormancy which results in formation of buds within a predicted number of weeks - often 5 weeks at 55 ?F (13 ?C).

Herbaceous plants (in botanical use frequently simply herbs) are plants that have no prolonged woody stem above surface. Herbaceous plant life may be annuals, biennials or perennials. Total annual herbaceous plants pass away completely at the end of the growing season or when they may have flowered and fruited, and they then develop again from seed. Herbaceous perennial and biennial plants may have stems that die by the end of the growing season, but elements of the plant make it through under or close to the bottom from season to season (for biennials, before next growing season, when they flower and die). New expansion produces from living cells remaining on or under the bottom, including roots, a caudex (a thickened portion of the stem at ground level) or various types of underground stems, such as lights, corms, stolons, rhizomes and tubers. Examples of herbaceous biennials include carrot, parsnip and common ragwort; herbaceous perennials include potato, peony, hosta, mint, most ferns & most grasses. In comparison, non-herbaceous perennial vegetation are woody plant life that have stems above earth that stay alive through the dormant season and grow shoots another year from the above-ground parts - included in these are trees, shrubs and vines.

Freesia Wallpaper