Watsonia is a genus of plants in the iris family, subfamily Crocoideae, native to South Africa. The genus is named after Sir William Watson, a British botanist. There are 52 species in southern Africa; all are perennial herbs growing from corms and producing erect spikes of showy flowers, and are adapted to a mediterranean-type climate. The most common species in cultivation is the pink-flowered Watsonia borbonica and its white mutant ‘Arderne’s White’. These were crossed with Watsonia meriana and other species in the early 20th century by breeders including John Cronin in Australia and Luther Burbank in California to produce a wide range of cultivars. Watsonia has been eclipsed in popularity by Gladiolus and other bulbs, and is now neglected by the nursery industry. In the South-West of Western Australia, six species have become naturalised from garden escapes along rivers, wetlands and seasonally wet ground.

Watsonia pillansii, synonymously known as Watsonia archbelliae, Watsonia beatricis, Watsonia masoniae, Watsonia priorii or Watsonia socium and commonly known as Knolpypie, Lakpypie and Suurknol is a South African endemic species found in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces where it is found in sandy soils mostly at low elevations near the coast. It usually has scarlet to orange flowers and is evergreen, preferring year round moisture. It flowers late spring to summer.