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 parva is a South African endemic species found in the Western Cape province extending from the Cederberg in the north to the Langeberg near Swellendam in the east. It occurs mainly in fynbos montane environments at middle to upper elevations but occasionally at low elevations near the coast in the Caledon District, either in open ground or more often on wet, rocky pavements in sand or damp moss pads. Geissorhiza parva is a dwarf species that bears dainty white flowers from mid-winter to late spring.