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 marginifolia is a South African endemic species from the Northern Cape and Western Cape Provinces where it can be found growing in Fynbos, Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo on clay or loamy ground in renosterveld or karroid scrub between Loeriesfontein to Fraserburg, Beaufort West and Matjiesfontein. It was previously known as Morphixia capillaris var. lancea and Morphixia lancea. It grows from 25cm to 75cm with three to four veined leaves. During spring it bears small pale blue/mauve/grey-blue flowers.