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{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants in the Iris family Iridaceae}}
{{hatnote|Montbretia redirects here. ''Montbretia'' is also a synonym for the plant genus ''[[Tritonia (plant)|Tritonia]]''.}}
{{Hatnote|Montbretia redirects here. ''Montbretia'' is also a synonym for the plant genus ''[[Tritonia (plant)|Tritonia]]''.}}
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{{short description|Genus of flowering plants in the Iris family Iridaceae}}
{{Automatic taxobox
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Iridaceae - Crocosmia aurea-1.JPG
| image = Iridaceae - Crocosmia aurea-1.JPG
|image_caption = ''Croscosmia aurea''
| image_caption = ''Crocosmia aurea''
|display_parents = 2
| display_parents = 2
|taxon = Crocosmia
| taxon = Crocosmia
|authority = [[Jules Émile Planchon|Planch.]]
| authority = [[Jules Émile Planchon|Planch.]]
|type_species = ''[[Crocosmia aurea]]''
| type_species = ''[[Crocosmia aurea]]''
|type_species_authority = ([[Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Pappe|Pappe]] ex [[Joseph Dalton Hooker|Hook.f.]]) [[Jules Émile Planchon|Planch.]]
| type_species_authority = ([[Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Pappe|Pappe]] ex [[Joseph Dalton Hooker|Hook.f.]]) [[Jules Émile Planchon|Planch.]]
|synonyms_ref = <ref name=prettyflowers/>
| synonyms_ref = <ref name=prettyflowers />
|synonyms =
| synonyms =
* ''Crocanthus'' <small>Klotzsch ex Klatt name published without description</small>
* ''Crocanthus'' <small>Klotzsch ex Klatt name published without description</small>
* ''Curtonus'' <small>[[N. E. Brown|N.E.Br.]]</small>
* ''Curtonus'' <small>[[N. E. Brown|N.E.Br.]]</small>
}}
}}

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[[File:A briar Montbrecia (escaped from its original garden location).jpg|thumb|300px|A briar Montbrecia (escaped from its original garden location)]]
'''''Crocosmia''''' ({{IPAc-en|k|r|ə|ˈ|k|ɒ|z|m|i|ə|,_|k|r|oʊ|-}};{{refn|{{Dictionary.com|accessdate=2016-01-23|Crocosmia}}}}{{refn|{{OxfordDictionaries.com|accessdate=2016-01-23|Crocosmia}}}}), '''montbretia''',<ref>{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1405332965|pages=1136}}</ref> is a small [[genus]] of flowering plants in the iris [[family (biology)|family]], [[Iridaceae]]. It is [[native plant|native]] to the [[grassland]]s of southern and eastern [[Africa]], ranging from [[South Africa]] to [[Sudan]]. One species is endemic to [[Madagascar]].<ref name=prettyflowers>[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=327093 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]</ref>
'''''Crocosmia''''' ({{IPAc-en|k|r|ə|ˈ|k|ɒ|z|m|i|ə|,_|k|r|oʊ|-}}{{refn|{{cite Dictionary.com |Crocosmia |access-date=20 August 2024}}}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/crocosmia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322184349/https://www.lexico.com/definition/crocosmia |archive-date=22 March 2020 |title=Crocosmia |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref>), also known as '''montbretia'''<ref>{{cite book |title=RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants |year=2008 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |location=United Kingdom |isbn=978-1405332965}}</ref> ({{IPAc-en|m|ɒ|n|ˈ|b|r|iː|ʃ|ə}}{{refn|{{cite Dictionary.com |Montbretia |access-date=20 August 2024}}}}), is a small [[genus]] of flowering plants in the iris [[family (biology)|family]], [[Iridaceae]]. It is [[native species|native]] to the [[grassland]]s of southern and eastern [[Africa]], ranging from [[South Africa]] to [[Sudan]]. One species is [[endemism|endemic]] to [[Madagascar]].<ref name=prettyflowers>{{cite web |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:20292-1#children |title=''Crocosmia'' Planch.. |website=Kew Plants of the World Online |access-date=20 August 2024}}</ref>


==Description==
==Description==
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[[File:A briar Montbrecia (escaped from its original garden location).jpg|thumb|left|Naturalized montbretia (escaped from its original garden location)]]
They can be [[evergreen]] or [[deciduous]] [[perennial plant|perennials]] that grow from basal underground [[corms]]. The alternate leaves are [[leaf shape|cauline]] and [[leaf shape|ensiform]] (sword shaped). The blades are parallel-veined. The margin is entire. The corms form in vertical chains with the youngest at the top and oldest and largest buried most deeply in the soil. The roots of the lowermost corm in a chain are contractile roots and drag the corm deeper into the ground where conditions allow. The chains of corms are fragile and easily separated, a quality that has enabled some species to become invasive and difficult to control in the garden.
They can be [[evergreen]] or [[deciduous]] [[perennial]]s that grow from basal underground [[corms]]. The alternate leaves are [[Leaf#Arrangement on the stem|cauline]] (stem-borne) and [[Glossary of leaf morphology#Leaf and leaflet shapes|ensiform]] (sword-shaped). The blades are parallel-veined. The margin is entire. The corms form in vertical chains, with the youngest at the top, and oldest and largest buried most deeply in the soil. The roots of the lowermost corm in a chain are contractile roots and drag the corm deeper into the ground where conditions allow. The chains of corms are fragile and easily separated, a quality that has enabled some species to become invasive and difficult to control in the garden.


They have colourful [[inflorescence]]s of 4 to 20 vivid red and orange subopposite flowers on a [[divaricate]]ly (horizontally) branched stem. The terminal inflorescence can have the form of a [[Cyme (botany)|cyme]] or a [[raceme]]. These flower from early summer well into fall. The flowers are sessile on a flexuose arched [[Spike (botany)|spike]]. The fertile flowers are [[hermaphrodite|hermaphroditic]]. All [[stamen]]s have an equal length. The [[carpel|style]] branches are apically forked. They are [[pollination|pollinated]] by insects, birds (hummingbirds) or by the wind. The dehiscent [[capsule (fruit)|capsules]] are shorter than they are wide.
They have colourful [[inflorescence]]s of 4 to 20 vivid red and orange alternate flowers on a horizontally [[divaricate]] (branched) stem. The terminal inflorescence can have the form of a [[Inflorescence#Determinate or cymose|cyme]] or a [[raceme]]. These flower from early summer well into autumn. The flowers are [[Sessility (botany)|sessile]] on a [[Glossary of botanical terms#F|flexuose]] (zigzag) arched [[raceme#Spike|spike]]. The fertile flowers are [[hermaphrodite|hermaphroditic]]. All [[stamen]]s have an equal length. The [[Gynoecium#Pistil|style]] branches are [[Glossary of botanical terms#A|apically]] forked. They are [[pollination|pollinated]] by insects, birds (sunbirds) or by the wind. The [[Glossary of botanical terms#D|dehiscent]] [[capsule (fruit)|capsules]] are shorter than they are wide.


The alternative name '''montbretia''' is still widely used. The genus name is derived from the Greek words ''krokos'', meaning "saffron", and ''osme'', meaning "odor" – from the dried leaves emitting a strong smell like that of [[saffron]] (a spice derived from ''[[Crocus]]'' – another genus belonging to the Iridaceae) – when immersed in hot water.<ref name=Goldblatt2008>{{cite book |last1=Manning|first1= John |last2=Goldblatt|first2= Peter |authorlink2=Peter Goldblatt|title=The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification |publisher=Timber Press |location=Portland, Oregon|pages=144–47 |year=2008|isbn=978-0-88192-897-6}}</ref>
The genus name is derived from the Greek words ''krokos'', meaning "saffron", and ''osme'', meaning "odour" – from the dried leaves emitting a strong smell like that of [[saffron]] (a spice derived from ''[[Crocus]]'' – another genus belonging to the Iridaceae) when immersed in hot water.<ref name=Goldblatt2008>{{cite book |last1=Goldblatt |first1=Peter |last2=Manning |first2=John C |author-link1=Peter Goldblatt |title=The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification |publisher=Timber Press |location=Portland, Oregon |pages=144–147 |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-88192-897-6}}</ref>

The alternative name '''montbretia''' is still widely used, especially for the garden hybrid [[Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora|''C.'' × ''crocosmiiflora'']].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-crocosmias/ |title=How to Grow Crocosmias |work=BBC Gardeners' World Magazine |date=20 April 2020 |access-date=20 August 2024 |quote=Crocosmias are also known as montbretia, although this tends to refer to the common species Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora.}}</ref> "Montbretia" is commonly used in the British Isles for orange-flowered ''C.'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' [[cultivar]]s that have naturalised, while "crocosmia" is reserved for less aggressive red-flowered cultivars. ''Montbretia'' is also a [[Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany|heterotypic synonym]] of the genus ''[[Tritonia (plant)|Tritonia]]'', in which some species of ''Crocosmia'' were once included. It was named by [[Alire Raffeneau Delile]] for {{ill|Ernest Coquebert de Montbret|fr}}, a fellow French botanist on Napoleon's [[French invasion of Egypt and Syria|Egyptian Campaign]]. <ref>{{cite book |last=Wells |first=Diana |title=100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names |publisher=Algonquin Books |date=1997 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tP02AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA142 |pages=142–143 |isbn=9781565121386}}</ref>


== Species ==
== Species ==
Species accepted by World Checklist of Selected Plant Families<ref name=prettyflowers/>
Species accepted by Kew Plants of the World Online:<ref name=prettyflowers />
* ''[[Crocosmia ambongensis]]'' <small>([[Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie|H.Perrier]]) [[Peter Goldblatt|Goldblatt]] & {{ill|J. C. Manning|af|John Charles Manning}}</small> – Madagascar
* ''[[Crocosmia ambongensis]]'' <small>([[Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie|H.Perrier]]) [[Peter Goldblatt|Goldblatt]] & [[John Charles Manning|J.C.Manning]]</small> – Madagascar
* ''[[Crocosmia aurea]]'' <small>([[Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Pappe|Pappe]] ex [[William Jackson Hooker|Hook.]]) [[Jules Émile Planchon|Planch.]]</small> (Falling Stars) – eastern + southern Africa from Cape Province to Sudan; naturalised in Azores
* ''[[Crocosmia aurea]]'' <small>([[Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Pappe|Pappe]] ex [[William Jackson Hooker|Hook.]]) [[Jules Émile Planchon|Planch.]]</small> (Falling Stars) – eastern + southern Africa from Cape Province to Sudan; naturalised in Azores
* ''[[Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora]]'' <small>([[Victor Lemoine|Lemoine]]) [[N. E. Brown|N.E.Br.]]</small> - South Africa; naturalised in parts of Europe, Rwanda, Zaire, Assam, Norfolk Island in Australia, Fiji, the Caribbean, Argentina, Tristan da Cunha ''(C. aurea × C. pottsii)''
* [[Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora|''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'']] <small>([[Victor Lemoine|Lemoine]]) [[N. E. Brown|N.E.Br.]]</small> – South Africa; naturalised in parts of Europe, Rwanda, Zaire, Assam, Norfolk Island in Australia, Fiji, the Caribbean, Argentina, Tristan da Cunha (''C. aurea'' × ''C. pottsii'')
* ''[[Crocosmia fucata]]'' <small>([[John Lindley|Lindl.]]) [[Miriam Phoebe de Vos|M.P.de Vos]]</small> – Kamiesberg Mountains in Cape Province of South Africa
* ''[[Crocosmia fucata]]'' <small>([[John Lindley|Lindl.]]) [[Miriam Phoebe de Vos|M.P.de Vos]]</small> – Kamiesberg Mountains in Cape Province of South Africa
* ''[[Crocosmia masoniorum]]'' <small>([[Louisa Bolus|L.Bolus]]) N.E.Br.</small> (Giant montbretia) – Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal
* ''[[Crocosmia masoniorum]]'' <small>([[Louisa Bolus|L.Bolus]]) N.E.Br.</small> (Giant montbretia) – Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal
* ''[[Crocosmia mathewsiana]]'' <small>(L.Bolus) Goldblatt ex M.P.de Vos</small> – Drakensberg Mountains in Mpumalanga
* ''[[Crocosmia mathewsiana]]'' <small>(L.Bolus) Goldblatt ex M.P.de Vos</small> – Drakensberg Mountains in Mpumalanga
* ''[[Crocosmia paniculata]]'' <small>([[Friedrich Wilhelm Klatt|Klatt]]) Goldblatt</small> ([[Aunt Eliza]]) – Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa
* ''[[Crocosmia paniculata]]'' <small>([[Friedrich Wilhelm Klatt|Klatt]]) Goldblatt</small> (Aunt Eliza) – Lesotho, Eswatini, South Africa
* ''[[Crocosmia pearsei]]'' <small>[[Anna Amelia Obermeyer|Oberm.]]</small> – Lesotho, Free State, Drakensberg Mountains in Mpumalanga
* ''[[Crocosmia pearsei]]'' <small>[[Anna Amelia Obermeyer|Oberm.]]</small> – Lesotho, Free State, Drakensberg Mountains in Mpumalanga
* ''[[Crocosmia pottsii]]'' <small>([[John Gilbert Baker|Baker]]) N.E.Br.</small> (Pott's montbretia) – Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal
* ''[[Crocosmia pottsii]]'' <small>([[John Gilbert Baker|Baker]]) N.E.Br.</small> (Pott's montbretia) – Cape Province, KwaZulu-Natal


=== Garden hybrids ===
=== Garden hybrids ===
* [[Crocosmia × curtonus|''Crocosmia'' × ''curtonus'']]<ref>[http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/h680/crocosmia-lucifer.aspx Missouri Botanical Gardens]</ref>
* [[Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora|''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'']]
* [[Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora|''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'']]


==Cultivation==
==Cultivation==
Crocosmias are grown worldwide, and more than 400 cultivars have been produced. Some hybrids have become [[invasive species|invasive]], especially ''C.'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' hybrids, which are invasive in the UK,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.environetuk.com/invasive-species/montbretia/identification |title=Montbretia crocosmia x crocosmiiflora identification guide |website=Environet Invasive Plant Specialists |date=2024 |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref> Ireland,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/property/homeandgardens/arid-20456298.html |newspaper=Irish Examiner |title=Wildly beautiful but caution should be taken with invasive plants |date=5 August 2017}}</ref> Australia,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/media/Html/crocosmia_x_crocosmiiflora.htm |title=Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora |website=Weeds of Australia |publisher=Lucidcentral |date=2016 |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref> New Zealand,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Identification/New_Zealand/Introduced_Weeds.htm |title=Common Weeds of New Zealand: Introduced and Invasive Species |website=Wildflowers-and-Weeds.com |publisher=Thomas J. Elpel |date=2024 |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/cabicompendium.55282 |title=Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (montbretia) |website=CABI Digital Library |date=8 September 2016 |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.weedbusters.org.nz/what-are-weeds/weed-list/montbretia/ |title=Weed Information Sheet: Montbretia |website=Weedbusters |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref> [[North Carolina]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/crocosmia-x-crocosmiiflora/ |title=Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora |website=North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox |publisher=North Carolina State University |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref> and the [[West Coast of the United States]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.invasive.org/browse/subinfo.cfm?sub=18731 |title=Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora |website=invasive.org |publisher=University of Georgia |date=October 2018 |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cal-ipc.org/plants/profile/crocosmia-x-crocosmiiflora-profile/ |title=Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora |website=CAL-IPC |publisher=California Invasive Plant Council |date=2024 |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>
Crocosmias are grown worldwide, and more than 400 [[cultivar]]s have been produced. Some hybrids have become [[invasive species|invasive]], especially ''C. ''×'' crocosmiiflora'' hybrids, which are invasive in the UK, New Zealand, the American Pacific Northwest, and probably elsewhere.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}


Crocosmia are winter-hardy in temperate regions. They can be [[Plant propagation|propagated]] through [[Division (horticulture)|division]], removing [[offset (botany)|offset]]s from the [[corm]] in spring.
Crocosmia are winter-hardy in [[Temperate climate|temperate regions]]. They can be [[Plant propagation|propagated]] through [[Division (horticulture)|division]], removing [[offset (botany)|offset]]s from the [[corm]] in spring.


The following cultivars have gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]]:
24 cultivars possessed the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]] in 2023, including:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |title=AGM Plants April 2023 © RHS – Ornamental |website=RHS |page=30 |date=April 2023 |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''Crocosmia'' 'Hellfire' <ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/269576/Crocosmia-Hellfire/Details | title = ''Crocosmia'' 'Hellfire' | publisher = RHS | accessdate = 5 May 2020}}</ref>
* ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Carmin Brillant'{{efn|Also called 'Carmin Brilliant'.}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/89746/crocosmia-crocosmiiflora-carmin-brillant/details |title=''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Carmin brillant' |website=RHS |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>
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* ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Star of the East'<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/118014/Crocosmia-x-crocosmiiflora-Star-of-the-East/Details |title=''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Star of the East' |website=RHS |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>
* ''Crocosmia'' 'Lucifer'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Crocosmia'' 'Lucifer'|url=
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/91289/Crocosmia-Lucifer/Details | accessdate=15 April 2020}}</ref>
* ''Crocosmia'' 'Hellfire'<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/269576/Crocosmia-Hellfire/Details |title=''Crocosmia'' 'Hellfire' |website=RHS |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>
* ''Crocosmia masoniorum''<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Crocosmia masoniorum''|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/64207/Crocosmia-masoniorum/Details | accessdate=15 April 2020}}</ref>
* ''Crocosmia'' 'Lucifer'{{efn|Once called ''Crocosmia'' × ''Curtonus'' by [[Alan Bloom]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h680 |title=''Crocosmia'' 'Lucifer' |website=Missouri Botanical Garden |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/91289/Crocosmia-Lucifer/Details |title=''Crocosmia'' 'Lucifer' |website=RHS |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>
<!-- AGM withdrawn * ''Crocosmia masoniorum'' 'Rowallane Yellow'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Crocosmia masoniorum'' 'Rowallane Yellow'|url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=4925|accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref>-->
* ''Crocosmia'' 'Paul's Best Yellow'<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/269578/Crocosmia-Paul-s-Best-Yellow/Details |title=''Crocosmia'' 'Paul's Best Yellow' |website=RHS |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>
*''Crocosmia'' 'Paul's Best Yellow' <ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/269578/Crocosmia-Paul-s-Best-Yellow/Details | title = ''Crocosmia'' 'Paul's Best Yellow' | publisher = RHS | accessdate = 5 May 2020}}</ref>
* ''Crocosmia'' 'Severn Sunrise'<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/79047/Crocosmia-Severn-Sunrise/Details |title=''Crocosmia'' 'Severn Sunrise' |website=RHS |access-date=21 August 2024}}</ref>
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{{div col end}}
* ''Crocosmia'' 'Severn Sunrise'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Crocosmia'' 'Severn Sunrise'|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/79047/Crocosmia-Severn-Sunrise/Details | accessdate=15 April 2020}}</ref>
⚫
*''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Babylon' <ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/117804/Crocosmia-x-crocosmiiflora-Babylon/Details | title = ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Babylon' | publisher = RHS | accessdate = 5 May 2020}}</ref>
<!-- AGM withdrawn * ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Carmin Brillant'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Carmin brillant'|url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=2553|accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref>-->
<!-- AGM withdrawn * ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Solfatare'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Solfatare'|url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=580|accessdate=17 June 2013}}</ref>-->
* ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Star of the East'<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' 'Star of the East' '|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/118014/Crocosmia-x-crocosmiiflora-Star-of-the-East/Details | publisher = RHS | accessdate = 5 May 2020}}</ref>
⚫
{{div col end}}

Other cultivars include:
* ''Crocosmia curtonus'' 'Lucifer', scarlet


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:Crocosmia corm 8649.jpg|''Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora'' corms in winter
File:Crocosmia corm 8649.jpg|''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' corms in winter
File:Crocosmia lucifer.jpg|Close-up of ''Crocosmia'' 'Lucifer' in bloom
File:Crocosmia lucifer.jpg|Close-up of ''Crocosmia'' 'Lucifer' in bloom
File:Aa montbretia.jpg|Montbretia, south Manchester, England
File:Aa montbretia.jpg|Montbretia, south Manchester, England
</gallery>
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Commons}}
* [[Miriam Phoebe de Vos|De Vos, M. P.]] (1999) "''Crocosmia''". ''Flora of Southern Africa'' 7: 129-138.
* [[Miriam Phoebe de Vos|De Vos, M. P.]] (1999) "''Crocosmia''". ''Flora of Southern Africa'' 7: 129–138.
* [[Peter Goldblatt]], John Manning, Gary Dunlop, Auriol Batten - ''Crocosmia and Chasmanthe'' (Royal Horticultural Society Plant Collector Guide)
* [[Peter Goldblatt]], John Manning, Gary Dunlop, Auriol Batten - ''Crocosmia and Chasmanthe'' (Royal Horticultural Society Plant Collector Guide)
* Kostelijk, P.J. (1984) "''Crocosmia'' in gardens". ''The Plantsman'' 5: 246-253.
* Kostelijk, P.J. (1984) "''Crocosmia'' in gardens". ''The Plantsman'' 5: 246–253.


{{Taxonbar|from=Q158670}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q158670}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:Iridaceae genera]]
[[Category:Iridaceae]]
[[Category:Garden plants]]
[[Category:Garden plants]]
[[Category:Flora of Africa]]
[[Category:Iridaceae]]
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[[Category:Iridaceae genera]]

Latest revision as of 20:48, 21 August 2024

Montbretia redirects here. Montbretia is also a synonym for the plant genus Tritonia.

Crocosmia
Crocosmia aurea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Subfamily: Crocoideae
Tribe: Freesieae
Genus: Crocosmia
Planch.
Type species
Crocosmia aurea
Synonyms[1]
  • Crocanthus Klotzsch ex Klatt name published without description
  • Curtonus N.E.Br.

Crocosmia (/krəˈkɒzmiə, kroʊ-/[2][3]), also known as montbretia[4] (/mɒnˈbriːʃə/[5]), is a small genus of flowering plants in the iris family, Iridaceae. It is native to the grasslands of southern and eastern Africa, ranging from South Africa to Sudan. One species is endemic to Madagascar.[1]

Description

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Naturalized montbretia (escaped from its original garden location)

They can be evergreen or deciduous perennials that grow from basal underground corms. The alternate leaves are cauline (stem-borne) and ensiform (sword-shaped). The blades are parallel-veined. The margin is entire. The corms form in vertical chains, with the youngest at the top, and oldest and largest buried most deeply in the soil. The roots of the lowermost corm in a chain are contractile roots and drag the corm deeper into the ground where conditions allow. The chains of corms are fragile and easily separated, a quality that has enabled some species to become invasive and difficult to control in the garden.

They have colourful inflorescences of 4 to 20 vivid red and orange alternate flowers on a horizontally divaricate (branched) stem. The terminal inflorescence can have the form of a cyme or a raceme. These flower from early summer well into autumn. The flowers are sessile on a flexuose (zigzag) arched spike. The fertile flowers are hermaphroditic. All stamens have an equal length. The style branches are apically forked. They are pollinated by insects, birds (sunbirds) or by the wind. The dehiscent capsules are shorter than they are wide.

The genus name is derived from the Greek words krokos, meaning "saffron", and osme, meaning "odour" – from the dried leaves emitting a strong smell like that of saffron (a spice derived from Crocus – another genus belonging to the Iridaceae) when immersed in hot water.[6]

The alternative name montbretia is still widely used, especially for the garden hybrid C. × crocosmiiflora.[7] "Montbretia" is commonly used in the British Isles for orange-flowered C. × crocosmiiflora cultivars that have naturalised, while "crocosmia" is reserved for less aggressive red-flowered cultivars. Montbretia is also a heterotypic synonym of the genus Tritonia, in which some species of Crocosmia were once included. It was named by Alire Raffeneau Delile for Ernest Coquebert de Montbret [fr], a fellow French botanist on Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign. [8]

Species

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Species accepted by Kew Plants of the World Online:[1]

Garden hybrids

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Cultivation

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Crocosmias are grown worldwide, and more than 400 cultivars have been produced. Some hybrids have become invasive, especially C. × crocosmiiflora hybrids, which are invasive in the UK,[9] Ireland,[10] Australia,[11] New Zealand,[12][13][14] North Carolina,[15] and the West Coast of the United States.[16][17]

Crocosmia are winter-hardy in temperate regions. They can be propagated through division, removing offsets from the corm in spring.

24 cultivars possessed the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 2023, including:[18]

  • Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora 'Carmin Brillant'[a][19]
  • Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora 'Star of the East'[20]
  • Crocosmia 'Hellfire'[21]
  • Crocosmia 'Lucifer'[b][23]
  • Crocosmia 'Paul's Best Yellow'[24]
  • Crocosmia 'Severn Sunrise'[25]
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  • Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora corms in winter
    Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora corms in winter
  • Close-up of Crocosmia 'Lucifer' in bloom
    Close-up of Crocosmia 'Lucifer' in bloom
  • Montbretia, south Manchester, England
    Montbretia, south Manchester, England

Notes

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  1. ^ Also called 'Carmin Brilliant'.
  2. ^ Once called Crocosmia × Curtonus by Alan Bloom.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Crocosmia Planch." Kew Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Crocosmia". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Crocosmia". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
  4. ^ RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. ISBN 978-1405332965.
  5. ^ "Montbretia". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  6. ^ Goldblatt, Peter; Manning, John C (2008). The Iris Family: Natural History & Classification. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. pp. 144–147. ISBN 978-0-88192-897-6.
  7. ^ "How to Grow Crocosmias". BBC Gardeners' World Magazine. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2024. Crocosmias are also known as montbretia, although this tends to refer to the common species Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora.
  8. ^ Wells, Diana (1997). 100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names. Algonquin Books. pp. 142–143. ISBN 9781565121386.
  9. ^ "Montbretia crocosmia x crocosmiiflora identification guide". Environet Invasive Plant Specialists. 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Wildly beautiful but caution should be taken with invasive plants". Irish Examiner. 5 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora". Weeds of Australia. Lucidcentral. 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Common Weeds of New Zealand: Introduced and Invasive Species". Wildflowers-and-Weeds.com. Thomas J. Elpel. 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (montbretia)". CABI Digital Library. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Weed Information Sheet: Montbretia". Weedbusters. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora". North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. North Carolina State University. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  16. ^ "Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora". invasive.org. University of Georgia. October 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  17. ^ "Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora". CAL-IPC. California Invasive Plant Council. 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  18. ^ "AGM Plants April 2023 © RHS – Ornamental" (PDF). RHS. April 2023. p. 30. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora 'Carmin brillant'". RHS. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora 'Star of the East'". RHS. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  21. ^ "Crocosmia 'Hellfire'". RHS. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  22. ^ "Crocosmia 'Lucifer'". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  23. ^ "Crocosmia 'Lucifer'". RHS. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  24. ^ "Crocosmia 'Paul's Best Yellow'". RHS. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Crocosmia 'Severn Sunrise'". RHS. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crocosmia.
  • De Vos, M. P. (1999) "Crocosmia". Flora of Southern Africa 7: 129–138.
  • Peter Goldblatt, John Manning, Gary Dunlop, Auriol Batten - Crocosmia and Chasmanthe (Royal Horticultural Society Plant Collector Guide)
  • Kostelijk, P.J. (1984) "Crocosmia in gardens". The Plantsman 5: 246–253.
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