MASSONIA PYGMAEA

This member of the Hyacinthaceae family was given this name by Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal in 1843. It is found in Northern and Western Cape in South Africa, growing in a well drained soil with some water and lots of sun. The caudex can grow to three centimetres in diameter, the entire plant to one centimetres in height, although the leaves can reach six centimetres in length. The flowers are white to pale pink.

The genera name after Francis Masson, 1741-1805, a British horticulturist, collecting in South Africa. The species name means 'dwarf'. Despite its species name, Massonia jasminiflora is a bit smaller. *) Accordantly to the latest taxonomic system; APG IV 2016, Hyacinthaceae is now part of the Asparagaceae.