''Crocosmia aurea'', common names falling stars, Valentine flower, or montbretia, is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

plant belonging to the family

Iridaceae Iridaceae is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the irises, meaning rainbow, referring to its many colours. There are 66 accepted genera with a total of c. 2244 species worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016). It include ...

Etymology

The genus name is derived from the Greek words ''krokos'', meaning "saffron", and ''osme'', meaning "odor", as dried leaves of these plants, when immersed in hot water, emit a strong smell similar to saffron. The species Latin name ''aurea'', meaning “golden”, refers to the bright colour of the flowers.

Description

''Crocosmia aurea'' reaches on average in height. It grows from basal underground corms with long stolons. The basal, alternate leaves are

cauline A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

, linear, with a distinct midvein and entire margins, about wide. At the end of the flower stalk they have colourful branched inflorescences of bright orange to red flowers, reaching on average in diameter. The flowering period extends from June through August. The fruit is a capsule, with small blackish and round seeds. The plant can also be propagated by dividing the clumps of

corm A 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 ' ...

s, fleshy underground stems similar to

bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

Distribution

''Crocosmia aurea'' is widely distributed in southern and eastern Africa, from South Africa to Sudan. In South Africa it is common in the grasslands of the Cape Floristic Region.

Habitat

Usually these plants live in large colonies in shady forests and in banks of the rivers. They prefer moist habitats, at an altitude of above sea level..

Gallery

File:Crocosmia aurea flower.jpg, Plant of ''Crocosmia aurea'' File:Iridaceae - Crocosmia aurea.JPG, Flower of ''Crocosmia aurea'' File:Iridaceae - Crocosmia aurea-2.JPG, Flower of ''Crocosmia aurea'' File:Iridaceae - Crocosmia aurea-3.JPG, Leaves of ''Crocosmia aurea'' File:Crocosmia Aurea (south africa).JPG, Fruits of ''Crocosmia aurea''

References

External links

Biolib

Plants for a Future
Iridaceae Flora of Africa Plants described in 1847 {{Iridaceae-stub