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Iridaceae
Harlequin Flower
Sparaxis tricolor
Joy and celebration.
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Genus
- Sparaxis
- Native to
- South Africa, Western Cape
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- bulb
- Height
- 0.5-1.5 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- sandy, well-drained
- Water
- low to moderate
- Hardiness
- 9-11
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Each flower displays three distinct colors — the species name 'tricolor' reflects this characteristic banding.
- Sparaxis is native to the fynbos biome of South Africa's Western Cape, a globally unique floral kingdom.
- The genus name comes from the Greek 'sparasso,' meaning to tear, referring to the lacerated spathes.
- Harlequin flowers grow from corms and naturalize readily in Mediterranean climates, often becoming invasive.
- In cultivation, hundreds of hybrid cultivars exist in an extraordinary rainbow of color combinations.
Color meanings
0
joy
1
celebration
2
exuberance