This flower is a showstopper in any garden. The African iris (Dietes iridioides), also known as "fortnight lily,” is a whimsical evergreen perennial that is native to southern Africa and ...

The flowers close at night before unfurling in the sunshine. African irises come from the Dietes genus of the iris family (Iridaceae). The genus contains six species, most of which are native to ...

One of more than 1,200 indigenous Iridaceae (Iris family) species in southern Africa, it was discovered by botanist Dr Brian du Preez, a Smuts Fellowship post-doctoral student at UCT. Du Preez had ...