Babiana stricta

Babiana stricta, the baboon flower or blue freesia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae, native to Cape Province, South Africa and naturalized in Australia.

Description
Growing 10 - 30 cm tall by 5 cm broad, it is a cormous perennial with hairy leaves 4 - 12 cm long. The leaves show linear venation. It is a bulb-like plant that produces upright fans of pleated, slightly hairy, and sword-shaped 6 inch leaves. The leaves emerge in mid-winter and are followed by short spikes with blue or purple cup-shaped flowers in the spring. The flowers usually bloom for 3 or 4 weeks, after that, the leaves and flowers die.

The specific epithet stricta means "erect, upright".

Cultivation
There are many hybrids and cultivars with different colored flowers, usually blue or pink with white additions. In mid- to late spring, each flowering stem produces six or more blooms, each to 5 cm across. They are grouped in an inflorescence and often have a pleasant lemon scent. The seeds are black with a hard coat, collected in round seed capsules.

Babiana stricta is tender (USDA Zones 8–10) and in temperate zones is planted in containers and stored in winter at 5 C.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.