This group consists of about 61, tender, deciduous plants that grow from corms. These natives of South Africa are commonly known as Baboon Flower and Baboon Root because baboons love to eat their corms. Baboon Flowers produce fans of short, slender, pleated, fuzzy leaves and spikes of colorful, fragrant flowers in late spring and early summer. Each corm produces numerous flower stalks and each stalk bears 10 or more flowers in white or shades of yellow, blue, and mauve. Babiana stricta is the most popular species and its lovely flowers may last as long as a month in the garden. Baboon Flowers can be grown in containers and placed in a greenhouse or a cool, sunny window.

Baboon Flowers are hardy from zones 8 to 10. In areas where winter temperatures fall below freezing, these plants can be planted in a protected area with a southern exposure and mulched with a thick layer of leaves, salt hay, or similar material. They can be grown this way as far north as middle Atlantic States. In areas with wet summers, dig up the corms and store them in a warm, ventilated place until fall. The corms should be placed in a sunny or very lightly shaded location at the onset of cool, autumn weather. Plant them in well-drained soil consisting of two parts of loam and one part of leaf mold, with a small addition of well-decayed manure and sand. Plant them 5 to 9 inches deep and 2 inches apart. You can also plant up to 10 to 12 corms in a 6-inch pot. Place them deep in the container. Divide only when the plants become crowded. Water these plants regularly throughout bloom. Once the flowers have died and the leaves begin to fade, less water is applied; when the leaves have withered, the soil is kept dry until the fall.

Offsets or small corms, which surround the old corms may be detached and planted in boxes of soil until they reach flowering size. Seeds may be sown in light, sandy soil in September. They will produce bulbs that will bloom when they're about 18 months old.

Babiana stricta