Gelasine is a cormous genus in the Iridaceae family native to South America. It produces short lived flowers, but there can be many over a long period if not allowed to set seed. They are not supposed to be very hardy.
Gelasine coerulea (Vell.) Ravenna (syn. Sisyrinchium coeruleum Vell, Alophia coerulea (Vell.) Chukr, Alophia sellowiana Klatt) is from southern Brazil to Argentina. It is summer growing. Annie's Annuals says it is evergreen with regular water. A few PBS list members reported they did not have success growing it, but one suspected it may need water year round. They kept it dry in winter. Seed photo by David Pilling. Photos of leaves by M. Gastil-Buhl of a plant from Annie's Annuals not flowered yet.
Gelasine elongata (Graham) Ravenna (syn. Gelasine azurea Herb.) is from southern Brazil and Uruguay and is found in grasslands to 100 meters. It has bright-blue or violet flowers that open in the morning and flowers in the summer. Although it is advised to treat this one like a Tigridia having it be hot and moist in summer and dryish in winter, I have found it can be grown on a Mediterranean cycle and given summer water. It stays evergreen for me treated this way and seems to do best in the ground, not a container. The first two photos by Bob Rutemoeller and the third from Bill Dijk. The fourth photo shows the pleated blades of a pot of seedlings in their second year grown by M. Gastil-Buhl.
Gelasine uruguaiensis ssp. orientalis Ravenna is a rare plant from Uruguay. It is found in a region of Uruguay that is rather warm with many slight frosts in winter. It is an autumn/winter/spring grower and summer dormant. This one bloomed only briefly in May in 2003 and then didn't bloom again until May 2011. It is being grown in a pot in California. A few short lived flowers are produced at the top of a long scape. Photo 1 by Bob Rutemoeller and 2-3 from Mary Sue Ittner. The last one shows it blooming in a pot with some volunteer clarkias.
