Ixia maculata

African cornlily, African Cornlily

Family: Iridaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

African cornlily is a naturalized perennial found in the San Francisco Bay Area in urban areas and disturbed coastal dunes at elevations below 50 meters. Flowering in April, this plant produces striking orange or yellow flowers with a dark brown center, creating a pale star-like pattern in blooms 15 to 20 millimeters wide. Growing 20 to 50 centimeters tall with generally unbranched stems, it develops distinctive basal leaves that are thin and often twisted, reaching 10 to 35 centimeters long. Its slender basal leaves measure less than 5 millimeters wide, creating a delicate, grass-like appearance. The plant's dense inflorescence typically contains 4 to 12 flowers, with filaments partially united and anthers measuring 7 to 9 millimeters long.

Habitat: Uncommon. Urban areas, disturbed coastal dunes

Bloom period: Apr

Elevation: < 50 m

Bioregions: SnFrB

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.