''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'', or montbretia, is a garden hybrid of '' C. aurea'' and '' C. pottsii'', first bred in 1880 in France by Victor Lemoine. The

basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...

of the hybrid is ''Montbretia crocosmiiflora'' Lemoine. In 1932 it was reclassified as ''C.'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' (Lemoine) N.E.Br., but the common name "montbretia" is still often found in horticultural literature, and is commonly used in the British Isles for orange-flowered cultivars that have naturalised, while "crocosmia" is reserved for less aggressive red-flowered cultivars.

Description

''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' grows to 90 cm (36 in.) high, with long sword-shaped leaves, shorter than the flowering stem and arising from the plant base, ribbed and up to 20mm wide. The base is a

corm Corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen, underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (perennation). The word ''c ...

, a swollen underground stem lasting one year. The flowers are up to 5 cm long and coloured deep orange.

Cultivation

In the United States, ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' is considered suitable for planting in hardiness zones 5–9, but in more northerly locations it can be planted in the spring and the corms dug out in the fall. The corms should be planted in a well-drained garden soil in full sun to partial shade. The hybrid will set viable seed that can be grown as soon as ripe, but as a hybrid it will not breed true to colour. In

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, it is recorded as well-established in a wide range of locations. There are over 150 named cultivars within ''C.'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' including: * 'Babylon' − orange-red with yellow throats * 'George Davison' − yellow * 'His Majesty' − flowers large, orange * 'Jackanapes' − flowers orange-red, inner lobes golden yellow * 'Meteor' − orange yellow * 'Solfatare' − yellow flowers with bronze foliage * 'Star of the East' − light orange with pale centres Those marked possessed the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

in 2023.

Invasive species

''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' is deemed an

invasive plant An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native speci ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

; also in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, where it is common on roadsides in the northern parts of the West Coast of the South Island. The New Zealand Department of Conservation classes it as an environmental weed. The California Invasive Plants Council (Cal-IPC) lists ''Crocosmia'' × ''crocosmiiflora'' as an invasive plant in California, with limited concern and distribution. It is widely naturalised in England and Scotland, especially along the western seaboard from Cornwall north all the way to Sutherland.

Notes

References

External links

*
Kew Plants of the World Online

IPNI Listing
Garden plants Iridaceae Plant nothospecies Plants described in 1880 {{Iridaceae-stub