Family: Iridaceae
Original habitat: South Africa

Flower colour: Extremely varied but predominantly reds and oranges

Flowering period: June – August

Plant height: 30 centimetres

Planting depth: 5 centimetres

Planting distance: 8 to10 centimetres

Type of bulb: Bulb

Planting period: Spring

Light requirements: They like sun

Applications: Borders, beds and pots. Also suitable for cutting.

Tritonias grow best in warm sunny locations where the ground does not freeze. In areas receiving frost, the bulbs must be mulched or lifted before cold weather sets in. Keep the soil from becoming overly wet; otherwise, the bulbs can easily start to rot.

Important species

• Tritonia bakeri. Its three leaves are long and narrow. The single (sometimes branched) flower stems grow to a height of about 25 centimetres and produce up to 20 flowers on each branch. The flowers are cream coloured with dark brown stripes and purple stamens. In the wild, they flower from September to November.
• Tritonia crocata: This species, introduced in 1758, was found growing at an elevation of 4000 feet. The height of the plant ranges from 10 to 15 centimetres but can even reach 30 to 38 centimetres. The flower colour is usually a yellow-orange.
• Tritonia disticah ssp rubrolucens. About 10 red flowers per stem.
• Tritonia hyalina
• Tritonia laxifolia
• Tritonia lineata
• Tritonia squalida
• Tritonia aurea
• Tritonia bracteata