Tigridia is a genus of about 30 species mainly from Mexico and Guatemala. They produce a succession of short lived flowers which are usually in bright colours. The rootstock is a tunicated bulb, found from 3 to 15 cm deep in the wild. Bulbs are never found to offset in the wild. Leaves are pleated in a broad fan. The best known species is Tigridia pavonia whose flowers are 10-15cm (4 -6 inches) across in red, orange, yellow or white variously blotched in the centre. They commence growth in spring and generally die back during autumn. This genus was the subject of the topic of the week September 2003. An introduction was furnished by Alberto Castillo. In their 2008 book, The Iris Family: Natural History and Classification, Peter Goldblatt and John Manning included the four species of Rigidella that differed only in having a minute outer segment. They viewed this as merely an adaptation for hummingbird pollination. Also included were one of the species in the genus Colima and the genus Sessilanthera.
This page contains Tigridia M - Z
Tigridia index - Tigridia A - L
Tigridia mariaetrinitatis is found only in it's type locality in Oaxaca State, Mexico.
Tigridia matudae is an extremely rare alpine species from Mexico, reported from only two localities in Mexico and Morelos States. However, the original type locality was searched a few years back and no plants were found, so it is possible that it exists only at one locality at present. The plant seen in the pictures was photographed within the boundaries of the Zempoala Lakes National Park that straddles the border between Mexico State and Morelos. Elevation is 2900-3000 meters above sea level in cold, damp conditions. Yearly average temperatures are between 5 to 12°C with frequent rains including during the "dry" season. The plants grow in the shady understory beneath Pinus and Abies trees. The plant is rather tall in comparison to other members of the genus and can be 60-85 cm. in length with two cauline leaves that are relatively narrow. The stunning flowers appear bluish in photographs, but are actually a pale lilac when seen in person. Flowers appear from August-September and are rather large for the genus (3 cm. in diameter). The specific epithet honors a noted Japanese botanist, Eizi Matuda, whose most noteworthy contribution to Mexican botany was a comprehensive flora of Mexico State.
Photos by Dennis Szeszko of a plant photographed in-situ August 14.
Tigridia meleagris is a common Mexican species and I have seen it out in the field far more often than I've seen some of its cousins. Unfortunately, the plant is very spindly and difficult to spot. There is usually one solitary, narrow, pleated leaf up to 35 cm. in length on top of a stiff, wiry stem. It grows in deciduous jungle habitat 1000-1500 meters above sea level that has very pronounced rainy and dry seasons. During the rainy season this habitat is very lush and full of an exuberance of vegetation of all kinds. Consequently, this species tends to be be tall in order to grow higher than the other plants that tend to crowd it out where it grows. I have found this species difficult to cultivate because the potting medium needs to be bone-dry in the dry season to prevent the bulbs from rotting. The bulbs of this plant in the wild are difficult to extract from the ground without damaging them because they extend down into the soil up to 30 cm. deep and like growing in pockets of soil among rocks. Unlike most other species of Tigridia, the flowers of this species are pendulous and are not held erect. I have never found this species to offset in the wild and it reproduces exclusively by seed. It flowers from July-September in its natural habitat.
Photos 1,2,3 by Dennis Szeszko of a plant photographed in the month of August in-situ in Mexico State near the border with Michoacan. The last two photos are of interior and and side views of the flowers in-situ. Photos 4,5,6 were taken by Dale Denham-Logsdon in early August from El Divisidero which is just north of Ixtapan de la Sal, Estado de Mexico. Plants were growing in a road cut beneath a power line in a rocky soil at an altitude of about 1825 meters.
Tigridia mexicana is native to parts of Mexico with pronounced rainy and dry seasons. It grows in clay pans subject to seasonal flooding in full sun at an altitude of around 1750 meters in the transition zone between oak forest and deciduous brush jungle. It flowers at the beginning of the rainy season in its native habitat (end of May through beginning of June). The flowers appear at the top of a 8-10 inch tall inflorescence before the pleated leaves have fully extended. The bulbs grow deep about 8-10 inches under the compacted soil and are difficult to dig up without damaging the bulbs. The bulbs do not offset but grow quickly and easily from seed. Tigridia mexicana was seen growing near Sprekelia formosissima, Milla biflora, Sacoila lanceolatus (terrestrial orchid), Sisyrinchium sp., and Echeandia sp. These other geophytic species were observed growing in rocky areas at the edges of the areas prone to flooding where Tigridia mexicana grows. The first two pictures were of cultivated plants. The remainder of the photos were taken in situ in Mexico State.
Photos by Dennis Szeszko show flower closeups (top view, side view) from cultivated plant and flowers being pollinated by honeybees (Note clay soil and just emerging leaves) and close-up of flower in situ.
Small colony of Tigridia mexicana in situ with Ruellia sp. (purple flowers) in the first photo and wide-angle view of habitat showing Opuntia sp. and scrub-brush (Note little yellow flowers) in the second. Photos by Dennis Szeszko.
Tigridia multiflora is native to Mexico. Photo by Paul Tyerman.
Tigridia orthantha (syn. Rigidella orthantha) is a cloud forest plant from Guatemala and Mexico. The first photograph is from Rob Hamilton. The plants photographed in June 2007 by Mary Sue Ittner in the next three pictures below were growing in the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.
Tigridia pavonia is native to Mexico and semitropical to semialpine. It is a summer grower, dormant in winter. The first two photos were taken by Rob Hamilton and show a self yellow form and a tangerine self from the same seedling clump. In the third photo a pink/red flowered form was photographed by Jim McKenney in his garden on August 10, 2005. The flower began to open between 6:30 A.M. and 7 A.M. and began to close at around 4 P.M. These are not flowers for the working person! The fourth one was grown by and photographed by Ellen Hornig who wrote: "This is a photo of Tigridia pavonia 'Sunset in Oz' , a chance seedling that appeared at Seneca Hill Perennials. Oswego, NY, sometimes referred to locally as "Oz", is famous for its beautiful sunsets over Lake Ontario." The last picture, also from Ellen is an unspotted red form, a seedling of 'Sunset in Oz'. Ellen writes: "For shear screaming flower-power it's hard to beat."
The first photo below taken by Paul Tyerman is a white and red form of the same species and the second one is a yellow one grown from seed that bloomed quickly from seed, but is not happy growing in a pot on the Northern California coast. Photo by Bob Rutemoeller. The third one below is a red form, from a collection made by Yucca Do (#T73-33) at a much lower, and hotter, elevation than what they claim the typical form the Dutch have propagated was collected from. (Apparently, none of the Dutch ones survive at their nursery located in Central Texas; this one does, and multiplies as well.) It is very large, approx. 6 inches (15 cm) across. Photo taken Sept. 2003 by Lee Poulsen. The fourth was taken by Dennis Kramb in Cincinnati who wrote: "This unusual blended-color Tigridia bloomed for me this year, from stock obtained from Brent & Becky's Bulb Company. By Dennis Kramb in Cincinnati."
These four photos demonstrate some of the color variations found in flowers of Tigridia pavonia grown from one collection of seeds harvested from wild plants. These plants flowered only two years after sowing the seeds. Photos by Dennis Szeszko.
Tigridia tepoxtlana is native to Morelos State, Mexico.
Tigridia vanhouttei ssp. vanhouttei is native to Guanajuato, Michoacan, Hidalgo, Morelos, Puebla and Mexico State. This Tigridia species is widely distributed in Mexico, but rare at all localities in its distribution range. It can be found at high elevations between 2250-2850 meters above sea level. It grows best in gravelly, rocky soils but can also be found in dry scrub-brush, stunted Quercus forest, open fields and along roadside cuts. The flowers have a distinctive yeasty, mushroom smell that is produced to attract its insect pollinator (some PBS members liken the smell to that of an old tennis shoe cooked slowly over an open fire; it may be that the smell of the species varies from plant to plant, or from grower to grower). It is likely, although unproven, that this particular species of Tigridia is pollinated by Dipterids as opposed to Hymenopterids owing to the coloration and fragrance of the flowers. This subspecies is easily distinguished from Tigridia vanhouttei ssp. roldanii because it holds its flowers erect whereas the latter has pendulous flowers. T. vanhouttei ssp. roldanii is extremely rare and known only from two localities in Hidalgo state. Subspecies roldanii is considered by the Mexican government to be an endangered species.
The following pictures were taken in September in Texcoco district, Mexico State at 2600 meters. Photos by Dennis Szeszko and Paul Tyerman.
Tigridia index - Tigridia A - L