Spermatophyta: Monocotyledonae: Asparagales

Iridaceae - Iris family

Goldblatt, P. (1993) Iridaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(4)

Description of the family

Perennial herbs with rhizomes, bulbs or corms. Inflorescence either (1) composed of rhipidia enclosed in leafy to dry bracts (spathes) or (2) consisting of a spike or (3) with flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic or zygomorphic, with 2 whorls of petaloid tepals which are usually showy and may be free or, more usually, partly united into a perianth tube. Stamens 3. Ovary inferior, 3-locular with axile placentation. Style filiform, usually 3-branched; style branches filiform or broadened, sometimes divided at the apex. Fruit a capsule. Seeds sometimes winged.

Worldwide: 82 genera and 1700 species, cosmopolitan, but especially in South Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Central and South America.

Botswana: 7 genera and 23 taxa.

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Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Afrosolen Goldblatt & J.C.ManningImage
Babiana Ker Gawl. ex SimsDescription
Ferraria Burm. ex Mill.Description, Image
Gladiolus L.Description
Hesperantha Ker Gawl.Description
Lapeirousia Pourr.Description, Image
Moraea Mill.Description

Other sources of information about Iridaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Iridaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Iridaceae
Flora of the DRC: Iridaceae
Flora of Malawi: Iridaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Iridaceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Iridaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Iridaceae
Flora of Zambia: Iridaceae
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Iridaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Iridaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Iridaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Iridaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Iridaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Iridaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Iridaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Iridaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Iridaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Iridaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Iridaceae
Wikipedia: Iridaceae
Plants of the World Online: Iridaceae
Tropicos: Iridaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Botswana: Family page: Iridaceae.
https://www.botswanaflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=110, retrieved 2 November 2024

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