Babiana () is a genus of geophytes in the family Iridaceae with 93 recognized species . The leaves consist of a stalk and a blade that are at an angle to each other. The leaf blades are entire, laterally flattened and pleated, and often hairy. Each individual flower is subtended by two hairy or smooth bracts that are green in most species. The outer bract is often the largest of the two. In most species the bracts have a dry, brown tip, but in a few species it is entirely green or entirely dry when flowering or the outer bract is translucent and has a papery texture. The inner bract (between the flower and the stem) is forked or split all the way to its base. Each flower is without a pedicel, with six tepals that are merged at their base into a tube and form a perianth that is mirror-symmetrical in most species, with three anthers implanted where the perianth tube widens and that are, in almost every species, clustered at one side of the style. The style has three branches that widen towards the tip and the ovary is inferior. Flowers occur in almost every conceivable colour, many have markings on some of the tepals, and few star-symmetrical flowers have a centre that strongly contrasts with the free part of the perianth. The genus is called in Afrikaans, meaning small baboon.
Description
thumb|left|underground parts of [[Babiana grandiflora showing corms and roots, and lack of a fibrous collar]]
thumb|left|the fibrous collar surrounding the underground stems of [[Babiana minuta]]
Bobbejaantjies are perennial geophytes that appear seasonally above the ground with leaves and flowers. The leaves and stems are shed in anticipation of the dry and hot summer, when the plants survive with their corms. The roots that appear from the base of the corm are approximately the same diameter along their length and do not branch. The corms are enveloped in a multi-layered fibrous tunic that sometimes has a netted appearance. From the corm's top emerges a stem that is circular in cross section, either or not branching, mostly hairy or rough but sometimes smooth, and that may be entirely subterranean or appear above the ground. The base of the stem is usually surrounded by a collar consisting of several fibrous layers, but this collar is poorly developed in Babiana grandiflora, B. nana and B. petiolata. The Scottish botanist William Aiton described Ixia villosa (now B. villosa) in 1789. Lamarck described a further species of bobbejaantjie in 1791, as Gladiolus pubescens (currently B. pubescens). Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin named Gladiolus striatus, G. mucronatus and Ixia rubrocyanea (now B. mucronata, B. striata and B. rubrocyanea respectively) in 1794. Johann Friedrich Gmelin recognised Ixia villosula (now B. villosula) in 1896. Jacquin described G. fragans and G. sambucinus (now B. fragans and B. sambucina respectively) in 1797. Carl Peter Thunberg, sometimes called the father of South African botany, described in 1800 Gladiolus secundus (now B. secunda). In 1801, the English botanist, botanical artist and engraver Henry Cranke Andrews described Gladiolus nanus (now B. nana). Ker Gawler described B. purpurea in 1807. Richard Anthony Salisbury proposed the name Acaste for the genus in 1812. In 1817, Johann Jacob Roemer and Josef August Schultes added Gladiolus ambiguus (now B. ambigua). William John Burchell distinguished B. hypogaea in 1824. In 1827, Robert Sweet named B. angustifolia. In 1867 Friedrich Wilhelm Klatt described Antholyza fimbriata (now B. fimbriata) and also validly published the name B. flabellifolia, based on earlier work of William Henry Harvey. John Gilbert Baker described B. bainesii, B. dregei and Acidanthera brachystachys (now B. brachystachys) in 1876. In 1882, Klatt describes B. ecklonii, B. lineolata and also validly published the name B. scabrifolia based on work by Joachim Brehm. Baker added B. namaquensis and B. spiralis in 1892. Rudolf Schlechter added B. stenomera in 1899. South African botanist Louisa Bolus assigned the name B. vanzijliae in 1925 and B. latifolia in 1927. In 1931, Bolus described B. patersoniae and Kurt Dinter added B. longicollis. Bolus described B. framesii, B. odorata and B. macrantha var. blanda (now B. blanda) in 1932. Nicholas Edward Brown recognised B. patula that same year South African botanist Gwendoline Joyce Lewis published in 1959 an extensive revision of the genus Babiana. Therein she distinguished 61 species including the newly described B. attenuata, B. auriculata, B. cedarbergensis, B. confusa, B. crispa, B. curviscapa, B. foliosa, B. fourcadei, B. geniculata, B. horizontalis, B. leipoldtii, B. lobata, B. longibracteata (now B. sambucina subsp. longibracteata), B. minuta, B. montana, B. mucronata var. minor (now B. mucronata subsp. minor), B. pauciflora, B. pilosa, B. salteri, B. sambucina var. unguiculata (now B. rigidifolia), B. scariosa, B. sinuata, B. striata var. planifolia (now B. planifolia), B. stricta var. grandiflora and var. regia (now B. tubaeformis and B. regia respectively), B. torta, B. tritonioides, and B. unguiculata. In 1970, Bertil Nordenstam named B. lewisiana in her honor. Peter Goldblatt described in 1979 B. virginea. With John Charles Manning he described B. cuneata and B. praemorsa in 2004. In 2007 the genus was again revised, now by Goldblatt and Manning, and they newly described B. arenicola, B. carminea, B. cinnamomea, B. engysiphon, B. gariepensis, B. grandiflora, B. inclinata, B. karooica, B. lanata, B. lapeirousioides, B. melanops, B. noctiflora, B. papyracea, B. petiolata, B. radiata, B. rubella, B. tanquana, and B. toximontana. and B. rivulicola in 2012.
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Species overview
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Babiana ambigua Vanberkel 3.jpg|Babiana ambigua
File:Babiana angustifolia Vandermerwe 1.jpg|Babiana angustifolia
File:Babiana attenuata Warren 1.jpg |Babiana attenuata
File:Babiana auriculata Helme 1.jpg|Babiana auriculata
File:Babiana bainesii 1DS-II 4-4760.jpg|Babiana bainesii
File:Babiana blanda Vandermerwe 5.jpg|Babiana blanda
File:Babiana brachystachys Rebelo 1.jpg|Babiana brachystachys
File:Babiana carminea Helme 5.jpg|Babiana carminea
File:Babiana cedarbergensis Voget 1.jpg|Babiana cedarbergensis
File:Babiana cinnamomea Helme 1.jpg |Babiana cinnamomea
File:Babiana confusa Helme 1.jpg|Babiana confusa
File:Babiana crispa Deacon 1.jpg|Babiana crispa
File:Babiana cuneata Helme 1.jpg|Babiana cuneata
File:Babiana curviscapa Helme 1.jpg|Babiana curviscapa
File:Babiana dregei Helme 1.jpg|Babiana dregei
File:Babiana ecklonii Dupreez 1.jpg|Babiana ecklonii
File:Babiana engysiphon & Lareirousia jacquinii Helme 1.jpg|Babiana engysiphon
File:Babiana fimbriata Helme 1.jpg|Babiana fimbriata
File:Babiana flabellifolia Leandra K 1.jpg|Babiana flabellifolia
File:Babiana forcadei Koen 1.jpg|Babiana fourcadei
File:Babiana fragans Rebelo 1.jpg|Babiana fragrans
File:Babiana framesii Berger 2.jpg|Babiana framesii
File:Babiana geniculata Helme 2.jpg|Babiana geniculata
File:Babiana grandiflora Helme 1.jpg|Babiana grandiflora
File:Babiana hirsuta 1DS-II 2-2054.jpg|Babiana hirsuta
File:Babiana horizontalis Dupreez 2.jpg|Babiana horizontalis
File:Babiana hypogaea Snel 1.jpg|Babiana hypogaea
File:Babiana inclinata Dupreez 1.jpg|Babiana inclinata
File:Babiana karooica Vanberkel 4.jpg|Babiana karooica
File:Babiana latifolia Helme 1.jpg|Babiana latifolia
File:Babiana leipoldtii VanderMerwe 1.jpg|Babiana leipoldtii
File:Babiana lewisiana Helme 1.jpg|Babiana lewisiana
File:Babiana lineolata Helme 1.jpg|Babiana lineolata
File:Babiana lobata Helme 1.jpg|Babiana lobata
File:Babiana melanops Eustonbrown 1.jpg|Babiana melanops
File:Babiana minuta Helme 1.jpg|Babiana minuta
File:Babiana mucronata Gifberg 03.jpg|Babiana mucronata ssp. mucronata
File:Babiana mucronata ssp. minor Emms 1.jpg|Babiana mucronata ssp. minor
File:Babiana namaquensis Leandrak 1.jpg |Babiana namaquensis
File:Babiana nana maculata Helme 2.jpg |Babiana nana maculata
File:Babiana nana nana Vandermerwe 1.jpg |Babiana nana nana
File:Babiana nervosa Dupreez 2.jpg|Babiana nervosa
File:Babiana odorata Dupreez 1.jpg|Babiana odorata
File:Babiana papyracea Helme 1.jpg|Babiana papyracea
File:Babiana patersoniae Berkel 2.jpg|Babiana patersoniae
File:Babiana patula Dupreez 1.jpg|Babiana patula
File:Babiana pauciflora Helme 2.jpg|Babiana pauciflora
File:Babiana pilosa Helme_2.jpg|Babiana pilosa
File:Babiana planifolia Helme 1.jpg|Babiana planifolia
File:Babiana pubescens Rebelo 1.jpg|Babiana praemorsa
File:Babiana praemorsa Helme 1.jpg|Babiana pubescens
File:Babiana purpurea Helme 1.jpg|Babiana purpurea
File:Babiana pygmaea Vandermerwe 3.jpg|Babiana pygmaea
File:Babiana radiata Turner 1.jpg|Babiana radiata
File:Babiana regia Vandermerwe 2.jpg|Babiana regia
File:Babiana rigidifolia Helme 1.jpg|Babiana rigidifolia
File:Babiana ringens australis Brink 1.jpg|Babiana ringens australis
File:Babiana ringens ringens Rebelo 1.jpg|Babiana ringens ringens
File:Babiana rivulicola Helme 1.jpg|Babiana rivulicola
File:Babiana rubella Helme 1.jpg|Babiana rubella
File:Babiana rubrocyanea Dupreez 2.jpg|Babiana rubrocyanea
File:Babiana salteri Helme 2.jpg|Babiana salteri
File:Babiana sambucina ssp. longibracteata Brunke 1.jpg|Babiana sambucina ssp. longibracteata
File:Babiana scabrifolia Helme 2.jpg|Babiana scabrifolia
File:Babiana scariosa Helme 3.jpg|Babiana scariosa
File:Babiana secunda Vandermerwe 4.jpg|Babiana secunda
File:Babiana sinuata Helme 1.jpg|Babiana sinuata
File:Babiana spathacea Helme 1.jpg|Babiana spathacea
File:Babiana spiralis Roberts 1.jpg|Babiana spiralis
File:Babiana symmetrantha Helme 4.jpg|Babiana symmetrantha
File:Babiana tanquana Dupreez 1.jpg|Babiana tanquana
File:Babiana teretifolia Emms 1.jpg|Babiana teretifolia
File:Babiana torta Murray 1.jpg|Babiana torta
File:Babiana toximontana Helme 1.jpg|Babiana toximontana
File:Babiana tubaeformis Helme 1.jpg|Babiana tubaeformis
File:Babiana tubiflora 1DS-II 3-4896.jpg|Babiana tubiflora
File:Babiana tubulosa Stirton 2.jpg|Babiana tubulosa
File:Babiana vanzijliae Avontuur 01.jpg|Babiana vanzijliae
File:Babiana villosa 1DS-II 3-8865.jpg|Babiana villosa
File:Winter Babiana Babiana villosula Twelve Apostles (7).jpg|Babiana villosula
File:Babiana virescens Helme 1.jpg|Babiana virescens
File:Babiana virginea 1DS-II 2-3197.jpg|Babiana virginea
</gallery>
Distribution
The vast majority of the 93 currently recognised species of bobbejaantjie occur in the west and southwest of the South African Cape provinces and in the southwest of Namibia, areas with predominant rainfall during the winter. Only two species occur in areas with predominantly summer rainfall. Babiana hypogaea can be found in southeastern Namibia, and in northwestern and central South Africa in particular Bushmanland and the Great Karoo. B. bainesii has a large distribution and can be found in Botswana, Namibia, central and eastern South Africa, Zimbabwe and southernmost Zambia.
Conservation
There are currently 93 species of bobbejaantjie recognised, four of which each have two subspecies, totaling 97 taxa.
- The continued survival of 30 taxa is considered to be of least concern (B. ambigua, B. bainesii, B. brachystachys, B. crispa, B. cuneata, B. curviscapa, B. dregei, B. ecklonii, B. fimbriata, B. flabellifolia, B. fourcadei, B. gariepensis, B. grandiflora, B. hypogaea, B. minuta, B. mucronata subsp. mucronata, B. patersoniae, B. planifolia, B. pubescens, B. rigidifolia, B. ringens subspp. australis and ringens, B. sambucina subsp. sambucina, B. scabrifolia, B. scariosa, B. sinuata, B. spathacea, B. spiralis, B. torta and B. tubiflora).
- Twelve species are considered to be rare (B. auriculata, B. cederbergensis, B. cinnamomea, B. framesii, B. geniculata, B. lapeirousioides, B. pilosa, B. praemorsa, B. rivulicola, B. stenomera, B. tanquana and B. virginea).
- Twelve are thought to be near-threatened (B. angustifolia, B. confusa, B. fragans, B. hirsuta, B. horizontalis, B. lineolata, B. nana subsp. maculata, B. nervosa, B. tubulosa, B. vanzijliae, B. villosa and B. virescens).
- Eleven species are vulnerable (B. karooica, B. lanata, B. lewisiana, B. melanops, B. namaquensis, B. papyracea, B. pauciflora, B. rubella, B. salteri, B. tritonioides and B. unguiculata).
- Eighteen taxa are treated as endangered (B. arenicola, B. avicularis, B. carminea, B. engysiphon, B. inclinata, B. leipoldtii, B. lobata, B. montana, B. mucronata subsp. minor, B. nana subsp. nana, B. noctiflora, B. odorata, B. petiolata, B. purpurea, B. rubrocyanea, B. sambucina subsp. longibracteata, B. toximontana and B. villosula).
- Nine species are regarded as being critically endangered (B. blanda, B. latifolia, B. pygmaea, B. radiata, B. regia, B. secunda, B. symmetriantha, B. teretifolia and B. tubaeformis).
- One species (B. foliosa) is possibly extinct.
Cultivation
Babiana nervosa (under its synonym B. stricta) is sometimes cultivated in gardens and grows best in more or less Mediterranean climates and well-draining soils. Corms of this species are available from commercial growers.