Looking into the history of bulbs and plants is often very interesting and will bring to light many of the original problems experienced in identifying them and putting them into the right families. Many of the early plant collectors and botanists caused confusion with mis-identification of species and by putting them into the wrong genus and families. Plants with a corm covered with fibrous tunics. Leaves are in two erect ranks, deciduous. Inflorescence is simple or branched in a dense or loose spike.
Stems are thin and wiry.
The flowers have a long or short perianth tube and more or less equal spreading segments. Fruit is a capsule of small, brown, angled seeds. The name Ixia is derived from an old Greek name for a plant noted for the variability of its coloring. Unfortunately, as happened in most genera of the South African Iridaceae, several of the better known species soon became involved in mis-identifications and considerable confusion, much of which has persisted to this day. An updated revision has recently been published in 1999 by Miriam de Vos in South Africa and lists some newly discovered species as well as some changes to bring this species list up to date.