Hydrotaenia Lindl. in Edwards's Bot. Reg. 24(Misc.): 69 (1838)
Pardinia Herb. in Edwards's Bot. Reg. 30(Misc.): 66 (1844)
Rigidella Lindl. in Edwards's Bot. Reg. 26: t. 16 (1840)
SessilantheraMolseed & Cruden in Brittonia 21: 191 (1969)
Tigridia/taɪˈɡrɪdiə/,[2] is a genus of
bulbous or
cormous flowering plants belonging to the family
Iridaceae. With common names including peacock flowers,[3]tiger-flowers or shell flowers, they have large showy flowers; and one species, Tigridia pavonia, is often cultivated for this. The approximately 60 species in this family grow in the Americas, from
Mexico down to
Chile.[1]
The tigridia flower is short lived, each often blooming for only one day, but often several flowers will bloom from the same stalk. Usually they are dormant during the winter dry-season. The roots are edible and were eaten by the
Aztecs of
Mexico who called it cacomitl, and its flower ocēlōxōchitl "jaguar flower".[4]
It was first published by French botanist
Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in his book Genera plantarum on page 57 in 1789.[1]
The genus name Tigridia means "tiger-like", and alludes to the coloration and spotting of the flowers of the
type speciesTigridia pavonia.[5][6][7]
Several hybrids exist, including;
Tigridia × mathewiiJ.M.H.Shaw, first published in Phytoneuron 2015-53: 4 in 2015.
It is an artificial hybrid, a cross of T. orthantha × T. pavonia.[8]
Distribution
They are native to the countries (and regions) of; northern Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Peru.[1]
They have been introduced into: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and
Madeira.[1]
^USDA, NRCS (n.d.).
"Tigridia". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
^Davidse, G., M. Sousa Sánchez & A.O. Chater. 1994. Alismataceae a Cyperaceae. 6: i–xvi, 1–543. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez & A.O. Chater (eds.) Fl. Mesoamer.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D. F.
^Manning, John; Goldblatt, Peter (2008). The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 253–56.
ISBN978-0-88192-897-6.
^Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., R. D. C. Ortiz, R. Callejas Posada & M. Merello. (eds.) 2011. Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 9–939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín
^Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1952. Iridaceae. In Flora of Guatemala - Part III. Fieldiana, Botany 24(3): 159–178
Rodriguez, A. and K. Sytsma. 2006. Phylogeny of the "Tiger-flower" group (Tigrideae: Iridaceae): Molecular and morphological evidence. Pp. 412–424, in J.T. Columbus, E.A. Friar, J.M. Porter, L.M. Prince and M.G. Simpson (eds.). Monocots: Comparative Biology and Evolution, Vol. 1. Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont.