Freesia is a genus of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, first described as a genus in 1866 by Christian Friedrich Ecklon (1886) and named after the German botanist and medical practitioner, Friedrich Freese (1795-1876). It is native to the eastern side of southern Africa, from Kenya south to South Africa, most species being found in Cape Provinces. Species of the former genus Anomatheca are now included in Freesia.

Freesia sparrmanii is a rare spring flowering bulbous plant endemic to South Africa’s Western Cape Province where it can be found growing on the Langeberg foothills near Grootvadersbos. It grows from 12 to 18 cm tall and bears white flowers that are flushed with purple.