A large family of some 1500 herbaceous plants, cosmopolitan but concentrated in the Southern Hemisphere and especially South Africa. Western Australia has 62 species, of which 47 are introduced and only 15 native.
Babiana stricta (baboon flower) is the most common of the three species of spring-flowering South African babianas recorded as garden escapes in Western Australia, although intermediates commonly occur. (There are over 60 species in South Africa.) It is an abundant weed of the Perth Hills and clay-based woodlands and wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain from Gingin southwards, and it is also spreading rapidly from other centres such as along the Avon Valley and at Albany. It forms dense clumps of flowering stems 15-40cm in height,each bearing up to about 10 flowers. The flowers are all shades from white, through lilac and pinkish-purple to deep violet, often with red or white in the throat. A similar but smaller plant occurs in East Perth Cemetery.
Babiana
stricta
. RR
B. disticha prefers sandy soils and occurs in a few locations in parks, wasteland and urban bushland from Perth to Busselton. The flowers have an irregular shape, with two petals having distinctive white markings on the lilac or mauve background. B. tubulosa has escaped into urban bushland around Bold Park, Perth. It is distinguished by having a long tubular flower, pale pink with red markings on the lower petals. All babianas spread by both seeds and corms. (Note: the taxonomy of the naturalised babianas in Western Australia is currently under review, and name changes can be expected.)
B. disticha . GK
Chasmanthe floribunda (African cornflag). Similar in appearance to watsonias, the cornflag produces its 1.5m high spikes of orange flowers in winter. The seeds are also bright orange but are succulent, and are dispersed by birds. It is a garden escape occurring in urban bushland, road verges and wasteland, especially under trees, from Geraldton to Bremer Bay. Native to South Africa.
Chasmanthe
floribunda . RC
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (montbretia) is found along road verges and on wasteland in the wetter south-west, spreading slowly by runners and corms. It is a sterile hybrid of (French) garden origin, a cross between two South African species, now grown extensively around the world as an ornamental. Flowers in summer.
Crocosmia
xcrocosmiiflora . PH
Ferraria crispa (black flag) is a scattered weed of roadsides, wasteland, coastal heath and woodland, spreading by seed and corms. It is often found growing as dense clumps and is easily distinguished, even when not in flower, by its succulent foliage. Individual flowers last only one day. Native to South Africa. Found from Perth inland to Pingelly and Cape Riche. Flowers in spring.
Ferraria
crispa
. RC
Freesia hybrids (freesia) Freesia alba x F. leichtlinii. This popular garden flower with an attractive scent has become a serious weed of urban bushland, coastal heath, woodland and granite rocks from Gingin to Israelite Bay. The flower stems have a characteristic right-angled bend just below the lowest flower. It flowers in spring and is a hybrid of two South African species.
Freesia alba
x F. leichtlinii. PH
There are about
200 species of Gladiolus in Africa and the Mediterranean and eight species, all
originally introduced as garden plants, have been recorded
as naturalised in Western Australia.
They all
die back each summer to an underground corm. The three most
common are G.
angustus, G.
caryophyllaceus
and
G.
undulatus.
G. angustus (long-tubed painted lady) is found on road verges,
wasteland and in bushland along the Swan River estuary and
as far south as Albany. It flowers in late spring on stems
up to 60cm tall. The flower tubes are 3-5cm long.
Gladiolus angustus . RR
G. caryophyllaceus (pink gladiolus) is also spring-flowering and is very common in urban bushland and banksia woodlands on the Swan Coastal Plain, extending eastwards to Lake Grace. Although visually attractive, the flowers have an unpleasant smell. Its leaves have a distinctive red margin and, in young plants, are twisted spirally in an anti-clockwise direction.
G. caryophyllaceus
. GK
