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Iridaceae
Watsonia
Watsonia borbonica
grace in motion.
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Genus
- Watsonia
- Native to
- South Africa
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- bulb
- Height
- 2-5 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, sandy
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 8-10
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Watsonia is named after Sir William Watson, an 18th-century British botanist and physicist who corresponded with Linnaeus.
- With sword-like leaves and tall arching spikes, watsonias are often called 'bugle lily' or 'cape bugle lily' outside South Africa.
- Some species introduced to Australia have become significant invasive weeds, spreading aggressively through pastures and coastal heaths.
- Watsonia corms were eaten by early European settlers in South Africa after observing baboons and porcupines digging them up for food.
- In the Iridaceae family, it is closely related to gladiolus and shares a similar corm-based bulb and zigzag flower arrangement on the spike.
Color meanings
0
grace
1
movement
2
elegance