Sparaxis is one of the smaller genera of the family Iridaceae. The Iris family is a large group that is well represented in southern Africa and includes well-known genera such as Moraea , Watsonia and Gladiolus. The genus Sparaxis occurs only in the Cape Province and includes fifteen species. The extent of their occurrence ranges from Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape to Bredasdorp in the southwestern Cape.

Of all the species, Sparaxis grandiflora is the most variable and widespread. When Peter Goldblatt revised the genus Sparaxis in 1969 he recognized that distinct races of S. grandiflora had evolved as a result of their geographical isolation from one another. He treated these forms as four separate subspecies, namely S. grandiflora subsp . acutiloba , subsp. fimbriata, subsp. grandiflora and subsp. violacea . The range of the four subspecies extends from the Olifants River Valley, Piketberg and Tulbagh in the north, south to the Cape Peninsula and east as far as Bredasdorp. Some of the distributions are more limited than others, subsp. fimbriata being the most widespread as it grows along the western coast belt from Piketberg to Cape Town.

The Sparaxis grandiflora complex is not the most common, however, with S. bulbifera being the most abundant and possibly the hardiest and most adaptable species of Sparaxis. It grows on clay or sandy soil and has a remarkable tolerance of disturbance and continues to grow in large colonies in damp areas throughout the Western Cape where it thrives on many road verges!

The name Sparaxis is derived from the Greek word sparasso, meaning one tear, pertaining to the lacerated bracts of the flower. The specific epithet grandiflora is derived from the Latin words grandis, meaning full-grown and florus, meaning flower. This refers undoubtedly to the relatively large flowers present in this species with respect to the rest of the genus. It is not surprising, considering the beauty of this species, that it was introduced into horticultural circles quite some time ago. It was first brought to Kew Gardens in 1758 and described by the Swiss botanist Daniel de la Roche in 1766 after he obtained specimens of numerous species from several people including Linnaeus. The type specimen is, however, unknown. Judging from his description of the species as having large, deep-violet flowers with tepals dilated at the tip, Goldblatt (1969) concluded that the form De la Roche described was subsp. grandiflora . He placed it in the genus Ixia, where all Sparaxis species described before 1805 were considered to belong before John Bellenden Ker, an English botanist, transferred the four species described at that point to a new genus, Sparaxis.

It was not long before Sparaxis grandiflora was cultivated in Holland, Austria, France and Britain. The species has also been illustrated for numerous botanical publications.

Following the subdivision of the species into four subspecies, it appears that it is generally Sparaxis grandiflora subsp. acutiloba, the yellow-flowered form of S. grandiflora that has been popular in horticultural circles. Manning, Goldblatt & Snïjman (2002) stated 'we have never seen the plum form (subsp. grandiflora ) in cultivation'. I have since discovered that this form has been cultivated, although only rarely, and has never been sold to the public. It has, however, been used more readily to produce hybrids together with S. elegans and S. tricolor .

A particularly famous breeder of Sparaxis is the late Oom (Uncle) Japie Krige, well-known for his success with hybridization experiments in the genus. In 1930 he planted two species, namely S. grandiflora subsp. grandiflora and S. elegans, adjacent to one another and within a few years, as a result of cross pollination, had produced hundreds of hybrids of the original parent plants. His colourful garden attracted thousands of visitors every spring and before long his hybrid forms were grown all over the world in New York, Scotland, Germany, Holland, France, South America, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Egypt and East Africa. Unfortunately the plants in his garden developed an unknown fungus infection in 1938 and he was advised not to reseed the Sparaxis hybrids.

Since Sparaxis grandiflora subsp. grandiflora has a very small distribution range, it is evident that conservation efforts are necessary to increase the numbers of unhybridized plants in ex situ collections in order to preserve the genetic integrity of this subspecies.