The genus Ixia consists of a number of cormous plants native to South Africa from the Iridaceae family and Ixioideae subfamily. Some of them are known as the corn lily. Some distinctive traits include: sword-like leaves, and long wiry stems with star-shaped flowers. It usually prefers well-drained soil. They have a specific but not very intense fragrance of vegetables. That is why it is often visited by many insects such as bees.

Ixia esterhuyseniae is a rare, range-restricted South African endemic species found in the Western Cape province’s Hottentots Holland Mountains growing amongst fynbos on seeps and drainage lines on upper sandstone slopes at elevations between 900m and 1200 m. Flowering occurs during late summer when striking yellow flowers are produced.