Flowering in South African Iridaceae

• Published in: Bulbous Plants Vol. 1; pp. 248 - 269
• Main Author: Ehrich, Luise
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom CRC Press 2014; Taylor & Francis Group
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Agricultural science; Biotechnology; Botany & plant sciences; Molecular Marker Analysis; PCoA; Freesia; Primer Combinations; Polymorphic DNA Band; corm; storage; Caladium Bicolor; Selective Nucleotides; new floricultural crops; SSR Marker; inflorescence initiation; DNA Polymorphism; Amplifi Ed; Bicolor Var; dormancy; Ed DNA; Bulbous Plants; Watsonia; DNA Band; Iridaceae; Gray Ghost; Sunfl Ower; COR; PCR Amplifi Cation; Gladiolus; Trap; Marker Analysis; Tritonia; DNA Fragment; Cape Floral Region; Molecular Markers; South Africa; Sparaxis; EST SSR Marker; AFLP Marker
• ISBN: 1466589671; 9781466589674
• DOI: 10.1201/b16136-14

South African Iridaceae are a highly diverse and specialized group of bulbous plants and contain many genera with a great potential as a new floricultural crop. After a brief botanical introduction about the family in general and its South African genera, emphasis is placed on the description and illustration of the growth rhythms of Iridaceae species originating in the Cape Floral region. Thereafter, various aspects of the propagation and the cultivation of South African Iridaceae are presented and compared to the wellknown genus Freesia. Special attention is given to the different growth factors influencing the development and the physiology of these corm-bearing plants, especially their influence on flowering during cultivation. These factors are in particular: the applied storage, cultivation, temperature and light intensity regimes as well as the corm size used. Lastly, future prospects and the potential of some members of the South African Iridaceae that have been the subject of international research as new floricultural crops are discussed.