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Freesia is a genus of herbaceous perennial flowering vegetation in the family Iridaceae, first referred to as a genus in 1866 by Chr. Fr. Echlon (1795-1868) and named after German botanist and doctor Friedrich Freese (1794-1878). It is local to the eastern aspect of southern Africa, from Kenya south to South Africa, most varieties being within Cape Provinces. Species of the former genus Anomatheca are actually included in Freesia. The plant life commonly known as "freesias", with fragrant funnel-shaped plants, are cultivated hybrids of a number of Freesia kinds. Some other species are also cultivated as ornamental plants.

They may be herbaceous plants which grow from a conical corm 1-2.5 cm size, which sends up a tuft of thin leaves 10-30 cm long, and a sparsely branched stem 10-40 cm extra tall bearing a few leaves and a loose one-sided spike of bouquets with six tepals. Many varieties have fragrant narrowly funnel-shaped bouquets, although those formerly positioned in the genus Anomatheca, such as F. laxa, have toned flowers. Freesias are being used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera types including Large Yellowish Underwing.

CULTIVATION AND USES

The plants 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 green- and yellow-flowered forms of F. corymbosa. Modern tetraploid cultivars have flowers ranging from white to yellowish, green, red and blue-mauve. They can be mostly cultivated expertly in holland by about 80 growers.[3] Freesias can be easily increased from seed. Because of their specific and pleasing scent, they are often used in hand lotions, shampoos, candles, etc.[citation needed], however, the blooms are mainly utilized in wedding bouquets. They could be planted in the land in USDA Hardiness Zones 9-10 (i.e. where in fact the temperature does not fall season below about -7 ?C (20 ?F)), and in the spring and coil in Zones 4-8.

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

Herbaceous crops (in botanical use frequently simply herbal remedies) are plant life which have no persistent woody stem above surface. Herbaceous plant life may be annuals, biennials or perennials. Annual herbaceous plants die completely by the end of the growing season or when they have flowered and fruited, plus they then increase again from seed. Herbaceous perennial and biennial crops may have stems that die at the end of the growing season, but parts of the plant endure under or close to the ground from season to season (for biennials, until the next growing season, when they blossom and expire). New growth evolves from living tissues staying on or under the ground, including root base, a caudex (a thickened part of the stem at walk out) or numerous kinds of underground stems, such as bulbs, corms, stolons, rhizomes and tubers. Types 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 plants are woody plants that have stems above floor that continue to be alive during the dormant season and increase shoots another yr from the above-ground parts - these include trees, shrubs and vines.

Freesia grandiflora, Mary Sue Ittner