Crocosmia ×crocosmiiflora
Common name
montbretia
Family
Iridaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial. Prefers moist soils (Fromont and King, 1992). Streams, forest margins, alluvial plains, roadsides, gravel pits, wasteland, slips, light gaps, shrublands (Fromont and King, 1992).
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland).
FACU: Facultative Upland
Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands (non-wetlands).
Features
Stiff, leafy, clump-forming, evergreen or summergreen perennial with underground rhizomes. Corms flattened, 35 x 15 mm, fibrous cover, light brown, in 3+ clusters at stem base. Leaves all arising from base, erect to curving above, 90 x 2 cm, firm, sword-shaped, mid-vein conspicuous. Flowerhead tall, zig-zag shaped. Flowers solitary, 6 petals, 3 cm long, orange to crimson, Jan-Feb. Seed capsule 3-sided, 5 mm long; with reddish-brown, flat-triangular, 3 mm seeds.
Similar taxa
Similar to several other monocot herbs with orange flowers. Tends to have a droopy habit and has flowers arranged in a single plane. Lacks the Bulbils of Watsonia bulbilifera. Chasmanthe floribunda is also similar but leaves and stems are more robust.
Flowering
January, February
Flower colours
Orange, Red/Pink
Life cycle
Perennial; produces strap-like leaves in winter which die down in the summer months (Fromont and King, 1992). Reproduces by two means: produces small cormils on the flower head and sends out creeping rhizomes to extend the colony (Fromont and King, 1992). New cormils are also produced on the original corms which are able to be transported by any soil disturbance (ibid.). Produces no seed, dispersed by soil movement (road graders, fill), vegetation dumping, water movement (ibid).
Year naturalised
1935
Origin
trop S America
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Tolerances
Moderate to highly tolerant of shade; tolerant of frost and moderately dry conditions (Fromont and King, 1992).