Devia is a monotypic

Monotypic

In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...

 genus of perennial, herbaceous, and bulbous plants in the Iris family (Iridaceae

Iridaceae

The Iris family or Iridaceae is a family of perennial, herbaceous and bulbous plants included in the monocot order Asparagales, taking its name from the genus Iris. Almost worldwide in distribution and one of the most important families in horticulture, it includes more than 2000 species...

), containing the single species Devia xeromorpha. It is a local endemic of the Roggeveld Escarpment in the western Karoo

Karoo

The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, closely related to the southern and tropical African Crocosmia

Crocosmia

Crocosmia is a small perennial genus in the iris family Iridaceae, native to the grasslands of Cape Floristic Region, South Africa.They can be evergreen or deciduous perennial herbs, that grow from basal underground corms. The basal, alternate leaves are cauline and distichous...

, a member of subtribe Tritoniinae of Ixioideae

Ixioideae

Crocoideae is one of the major subfamilies in the Iridaceae family.It contains plants which are wildly distributed in the Old world, mainly in Africa, but there are species like some members of the genera Romulea and Gladiolus which are native to Europe and Asia...

-Ixieae. It is remarkable in the Tritoniinae in its narrow, four-grooved leaves; dusty pink, actinomorphic flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

s with helically rotated anthers; and tussock-forming habit. Basic chromosome

Chromosome

A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...

 number for Tritoniinae is x = 11 but Chasmanthe

Chasmanthe

Chasmanthe is a genus of flowering plants in the iris familywhich originate from South Africa. In their native habitat the flowers are pollinated by sunbirds...

and some species of Tritonia

Tritonia

Tritonia may refer to:* Tritonia * Tritonia * Tritonia...

have n = 10. Devia, with n = 10, is consistent with this pattern, but it differs from Crocosmia which has the basic number for the subtribe. Although some of the differences between Devia and Crocosmia reflect adaptations to dry environments in the former, the genus appears to have followed an independent evolutionary pathway, becoming specialized in the structure of the leaf and in orientation of the stamens and style.

The genus name Devia recognizes botanist Miriam Phoebe de Vos

Miriam Phoebe de Vos

-External links:* from IPNI* from "calflora. net"* from "cliviasociety.org"...

, for her scientific contributions to the morphology and anatomy of South African plants.