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 named after German botanist and doctor Friedrich Freese (1794-1878). It is local to the eastern side of southern Africa, from Kenya south to South Africa, most types being within Cape Provinces. Varieties of the previous genus Anomatheca are actually contained in Freesia. The vegetation commonly known as "freesias", with fragrant funnel-shaped blooms, are cultivated hybrids of a number of Freesia varieties. Some other species are also grown as ornamental crops.
They can be herbaceous vegetation which develop from a conical corm 1-2.5 cm size, which transmits up a tuft of small leaves 10-30 cm long, and a sparsely branched stem 10-40 cm large bearing a few leaves and a loose one-sided spike of plants with six tepals. Many varieties have fragrant narrowly funnel-shaped blossoms, although those previously positioned in the genus Anomatheca, such as F. laxa, have smooth flowers. Freesias are being used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera types including Large Yellowish Underwing.
CULTIVATION AND USES
The vegetation usually called "freesias" are derived from crosses manufactured in the 19th century between F. refracta and F. leichtlinii. Numerous cultivars have been bred from these types and the green- and yellow-flowered forms of F. corymbosa. Modern tetraploid cultivars have bouquets which range from white to yellowish, pink, red and blue-mauve. They are mostly cultivated professionally in holland by about 80 growers.[3] Freesias can be quickly increased from seed. Due to their specific and satisfying scent, they are often used in palm lotions, shampoos, candles, etc.[citation needed], however, the plants are mainly used in wedding bouquets. They can be planted in the fall season in USDA Hardiness Areas 9-10 (i.e. where in fact the temperature does not show up below about -7 ?C (20 ?F)), and in the spring in Areas 4-8.
Freesia laxa (previously called Lapeirousia laxa or Anomatheca cruenta) is one of the other varieties of the genus which is commonly cultivated. Smaller than the scented freesia cultivars, they have flat somewhat than cup-shaped blossoms. Extensive 'forcing' of this bulb occurs in two Moon Bay in California where several growers chill the light bulbs in proprietary methods to satisfy frigid dormancy which results in creation of buds in just a predicted volume of weeks - often 5 weeks at 55 ?F (13 ?C).
Herbaceous crops (in botanical use frequently simply herbs) are vegetation that contain no persistent woody stem above surface. Herbaceous plants may be annuals, biennials or perennials. Annual herbaceous plants expire completely by the end of the growing season or when they have got flowered and fruited, plus they then grow again from seed. Herbaceous perennial and biennial plant life may have stems that pass away by the end of the growing season, but elements of the plant endure under or close to the ground from season to season (for biennials, until the next growing season, when they rose and perish). New progress builds up from living tissues left over on or under the ground, including origins, 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. 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 vegetation are woody vegetation that have stems above floor that continue to be alive during the dormant season and expand shoots another year from the above-ground parts - these include trees and shrubs, shrubs and vines.