The Cape is well known for its wealth of beautiful bulbs. If you go walking on Lion’s Head above Cape Town in early summer one of the most striking sights is Aristea. With its tall spikes of flowers, Aristea belongs to the iris family, Iridaceae. It grows wild along the lower mountain slopes of the southwestern Cape. The plants form thick clumps of long strap-shaped evergreen leaves, which stand upright to 1,5 meters. From October the flowering stems appear tall and strong above the leaves, often 8 or more stems grow from each clump. The flowers are formed along the top part of the stem, tightly arranged on little branches forming small bunches of buds. There are a few hundred flowers along each stem. The 6 bright petals of each flower open wide, creating a flat saucer of about 25mm across with the 3 yellow anthers and sword-shaped stigma in the centre. The flowers are pollinated by pollen – collecting bees that are active early in the day. The old flowering stems remain upright for months after flowering and are quite attractive, turning a rich brown colour. Underground, Aristea has a rhizome from which the plants often resprout after fire.

Aristea biflora is a South African endemic species found in the Western Cape province between Caledon and Middleton. It is characterized by attractive violet to purple flowers with transparent to translucent bronze windows on the lower margins. Aristea biflora is a perennial geophyte. The flattened stem reaches a height of 200 to 300 mm and occasionally 400 mm. The flowers have spade-shaped tepals which are lilac to blue with dark green or black markings, the inner tepals with transparent to translucent bronze windows on the lower margins. Aristea biflora is characterized by its long, linear anthers; further characteristic features are the relatively few-flowered inflorescence, the green and narrowly scariously margined bracts.