Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: wine cup

Family: Iridaceae (Iris)

Distribution: Western Cape local endemic: Darling and Malmesbury

Habitat: Wet, sandy flats, moist clay soils, and other waterlogged soils

National red list: Critically Endangered

Life form: Geophyte (bulb, corm or tuber - seasonally dormant)

Comments: This beautiful bulb has a global range of only 46km2, with only two, or at most three small, isolated subpopulations after extensive habitat loss to wheat and pasture cultivation. Ongoing habitat loss and degradation, and dense alien invasive wattle infestations of its wetland habitat mean that this Critically Endangered species is unfortunately continuing it's trajectory to extinction.