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 monadelpha has flowers that are violet, mauve, pink, apricot or white, rarely yellow, all with a contrasting center which is outlined with a circle of still another color. It flowers in spring. They make very good cut flowers.