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 longistylis, synonymously known as Ixia polystachya var. longistylis, is a critically endangered South African endemic species found in the Western Cape’s Breede River Valley between Worcester and Rawsonville growing amongst fynbos in well-drained, sandy alluvial flats. During spring it produces eye-catching white flowers with dark centers.