Genus: Watsonia Life
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Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Monocotyledons > Order: Asparagales
> Family: Iridaceae
The 52 species are endemic to southern
Africa, with most species found in the Western Cape and the grasslands of
KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland and Mpumalanga.
Pink and yellow flowered species with short, funnel-shaped
tubes produce small quantities of nectar and are pollinated by bees.
Red-flowered species with long tubes produce large amounts of nectar and are
pollinated by sunbirds (Goldblatt and Manning 2000).
Species native to southern Africa
List from
Plants
of Southern Africa - an Online Checklist (SANBI).
Publications
-
Goldblatt, P. 1989. The genus Watsonia.
Annals of Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens 19.
-
Goldblatt, P. & Manning, J.C. 2000.
Iridaceae. In: In: Seed Plants of
Southern Africa (ed. O.A. Leistner). Strelitzia 10: 623-638.
National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
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