Hesperantha is a genus of 91 perennial, cormous plants in the iris family (Iridaceae), almost all native to Africa. They grow from semi-evergreen corms that send up clumps of erect stems with grassy leaves and showy, lily-like blooms from late summer through winter, filling a gap in the garden calendar when most flowering plants have long since finished. The flowers are radially symmetrical and divide at the mouth of the tube into spreading tepals; many species open only in the late afternoon or early evening, and those are often noticeably fragrant.

Most plants in this genus stay under 7 inches tall, which makes them well suited to the front of a border, the edges of a patio, or a container where their evening performance can be appreciated at close range. They need full sun to partial shade and soil that stays consistently moist: unlike many cormous plants, they do not tolerate drying out. Plant corms 2 inches deep with a layer of organic mulch, and in colder parts of their range provide a sheltered position or winter protection. They are tender below about 25 degrees F. Propagation by division in fall keeps clumps vigorous over time.