Pillansia

Description

Pillansia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, first described as a genus in 1914. It contains only one known species, Pillansia templemannii, which is endemic to the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is an evergreen, perennial plant that has an underground corm, about five fibrous, strap-like leaves, and a panicle-like inflorescence, consisting of highly distinctive, star-symmetrical, cup-shaped orange flowers of approximately 5 cm (2.0 in) across, each with a floral tube of about 6 mm (0.24 in) long and 6 rounded slightly cup-shaped tepals. It flowers in October and November, but only after a fire burned down the surrounding woody vegetation. It is called fireflag or pillansia in English.