Citation: Ker Gawler, Curtis's Bot. Mag. 16:t. 581 (1802).

Derivation: Greek triton, a weather-cock; referring to the anthers which are variously oriented in the flower.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Tritonias.

Description:
Deciduous perennial herbs; corm globose, with fibrous tunic extended in a short neck; leaves several, basal, equitant, flat, falcate or lanceolate to linear, glabrous.

Scape erect, terete, wiry, rarely branched; spike loose, unbranched, more or less distichous; flowers sessile, solitary in each spathe; bracts short, truncate, toothed, scarious or membranous, paired, subequal, the inner one slightly 2-fid; perianth actinomorphic or slightly zygomorphic with equal or subequal lobes longer than the funnel-shaped tube; stamens inserted on the tube, free; anthers curved, dorsifixed, versatile, included; style filiform; style branches 3, recurved, hardly dilated.

Capsule obovoid, membranous; seeds small, numerous, brown. (M.P. de Vos (1982) Jl S. Afr. Bot. 48:105-163; (1983) Jl S. Afr. Bot. 49:347-422.)

Distribution:  28 species in southern Africa, 2 naturalised in Australia.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Perianth cream with fine dark veins; spathes wholly brown	T. lineata 1.
1. Perianth pink, veined or flushed deeper pink; spathes green with brown apices	T. squalida 2.

Author: Not yet available