Flowers A to Z - Freesia

Freesia

Botanical Name :	Freesia (leichtlinii, refracta or spp.)
Common Name :	Freesia
Product Use :	Cut Flower
Pronunciation :	FREE-zhi-a ree-FRAC-ta
Family Roots :	Member of the Iridaceae (iris) family. Native to South Africa. Common relatives include iris, gladiolus, crocus and ixia.
Personality :	Flowers are funnel-shaped, 1-2 inches long, 5-8 flowers per one sided spike. Stems are leafless, sometimes branched, 1-2 feet long. Plant is a perennial from corms, classed as a monocotyledon, leaves mostly parallel veined. Flower fragrance is variable but often intense with yellow forms.
Availability :	Year-round.
Flower Color :	White, yellow, red, orange or purple.
Decorative Life :	4-12 days.
Ethylene Sensitivity :	Medium
Ethylene Comments :	Ethylene accelerates bud drop. Therefore, they should be treated with an anti-ethylene product.
Post Harvest Care Opportunities :	Recut stems under water and place into a fresh flower food solution. Do not use fluoridated water (most public water contains fluoride) as it can reduce flower development and cause leaf and flower tip burn. Using an aluminum sulfate based flower food can help reduce fluoride toxicity but cannot totally prevent it.
Storage Specifics :	32-36F. Wet is seemingly better than dry storage.
Preharvest & Harvest Factors:	Harvest when the first flower shows color. More flower buds open after harvest when the plants are grown under high light environments, where food buildup in the flowers is maximum. Depending on cultivar and growing conditions, lateral flowers on the main stems can be harvested after the main stem has been removed. Lateral flowers generally do not last as long as the main ones.
Tidbits :	Flowers in both single and double forms. Name after Dr. Friedrich Freese (1785-1876), a German physician native to Keil and a student of South African plants. The specific epithet name refracta means broken. Pulsing with high sugar solutions (up to 25%) can be beneficial but no such products are presently being marketed for this purpose. An ethylene-induced symptom is when petals become translucent and/or fall off. Water stress can cause a surge in ethylene production, which in turn can reduce flower life. See More at Hoogasian Flowers A to Z: http://www.hoogasian.com/FlowersAtoZ.html