Any of the approximately 20 species of South African plants that make up the genus Freesia , in the iris family , with corms , grassy foliage, and wiry spikes of bell-like, lemon-scented flowers in white, yellow, orange, and blue.
The flower spikes usually turn at right angles from the stem, displaying the flowers in a horizontal line. Two species much used in hybridization are F. refracta , greenish-yellow to yellow or white, and F. armstrongii , tinged rose-purple. The plants are grown indoors in pots or in gardens in mild climates.