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 karooica, commonly known as Karoo Satin, is a rare South African endemic species found in the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces where it is found on the margins of the western Karoo between Matjiesfontein and Whitehill and in the Klein Roggeveld Mountains. It occurs in succulent karoo shrubland, on coarse, broken shale flats and slopes. It is a dwarf species, typically under 6 cm tall. It’s probably closely related to Geissorhiza spiralis and Geissorhiza corrugata, both of which also grow in the Karoo. But those species have twisted leaves, while Geissorhiza karooica has straight ones. During spring it bears eye-catching deep purple flowers.