Freesia Klatt

1 naturalized Aust.; NSW, Vic., S.A., WA

*Freesia alba (G.L.Mey.) Gumbl. xF. leichtlinii Klatt

Weak, erect, perennial herb with reticulate corms. Leaves linear, mostly basal, c. 25 cm long. Flowers almost regular, on branched stems in few-flowered one-sided spikes with a flexuose rhachis; spathes scarious-membranous, ovate, toothed, 5–7 mm long. Perianth segments yellow or cream, subequal, connate into a tube longer than the lobes; lobes c. 15 mm long and 10 mm wide. Filaments adnate to the perianth tube. Stylar branches 2-fid, ± dilated. Capsule ovoid. Garden escape in waste ground near towns. Introd. from S. Africa. Fl. spring