Crocosmia ×crocosmiiflora
Common name
montbretia
Family
Iridaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
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).
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
Year naturalised
1935
Origin
trop S America
Reason For Introduction
Ornamental
Life Cycle Comments
Perennial; produces strap-like leaves in winter which die down in the summer months (Fromont and King, 1992).
Reproduction
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 (Fromont and King, 1992).
Seed
Produces no seed (Fromont and King, 1992).
Dispersal
Soil movement (road graders, fill), vegetation dumping, water movement.
Tolerances
Moderate to highly tolerant of shade; tolerant of frost and moderately dry conditions (Fromont and King, 1992).