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Iridaceae
Spider Iris
Ferraria crispa
Mysterious allure.
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Genus
- Ferraria
- Native to
- South Africa, Southern Africa
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- bulb
- Height
- 0.5-1.5 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- sandy, well-drained
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 9-11
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Ferraria flowers emit a strong, unpleasant scent similar to rotting flesh, attracting blowflies as pollinators.
- The wavy, crinkled petals give the flowers an extraordinary, almost alien appearance unlike any other iris relative.
- Each individual flower lasts only one day, but the plant produces a succession of blooms over several weeks.
- The genus is named after Giovanni Battista Ferrari, a 17th-century Italian botanist and Jesuit priest.
- Ferraria crispa grows from corms that multiply freely, forming large colonies over time in suitable conditions.
Color meanings
0
mystery
1
intrigue
2
uniqueness