Geissorhiza is a large genus of around 84 perennial species, of small to medium corm bearing plants in the Iridaceae family found in the winter rainfall region of the south and west coasts of southern Africa. Many of them make very handsome container plants and benefit from extra water during growth. The name Geissorhiza is derived from the Greek words geisson and rhiza which mean tile and root respectively. This is in reference to a tunic which covers the corms like a roof tile. The bulb-like structure is used as a storage organ during the dormant period. It is closely related to the genus Hesperantha, the main difference being that most Hesperantha are night bloomers.

Geissorhiza elsiae is a rare range-restricted South African endemic species found in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces from the Kammanassie Mountains in the Little Karoo. It occurs on cool, damp, seasonally waterlogged south-facing fynbos covered slopes. Growing from 13 to 25 cm, this species has linear to sword shaped leaves and light pink flowers with diamond shaped purple markings in the center. It flowers during spring during the months of October and November.