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'''Crocosmia''' J. E. Planchon 1851, is a small genus of perennial species in the iris family Iridaceae, native to grasslands in the Cape region (South Africa).
They are commonly known in the United States as 'coppertips' or 'falling stars', and in Britain as 'montbretia'. Other names, for hybrids and cultivars, include 'antholyza', and 'curtonus'.
They are now grown worldwide, and more than 400 cultivars have been produced. Some hybrids have become invasive species.

The name is derived from the Greek words ''krokos'' (saffron) and ''osme'' (smell), referring to the saffron-like scent, when dried flowers are dipped in water.
They are evergreen or deciduous perennial herbs, that grow from basal underground corms. The basal, alternate leaves are cauline (meaning, belonging to the stem) and distichous (meaning, growing in two vertical ranks). The leaves are linear or lanceolate. The blades are parallel-veined. The margin is entire.
They have colourful inflorescences of 4 to 20 vivid red and orange subopposite flowers on a divaricately branched stem. The terminal inflorescence can have the form of a cyme or a raceme. These flower from early summer well into fall. The flowers are sessile on a flexuose 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 (hummingbirds) or by the wind. The dehiscent capsules are shorter than wide.
Crocosmia are winter-hardy in warm temperate regions. They can be propagated through division, removing offsets from the corm in spring.

Contents

Species

Natural hybrids

Garden hybrids

References

Species

★ ''Crocosmia ambongensis''

★ ''Crocosmia aurea'' (Falling Stars)

★ ''Crocosmia cinnabarina''

★ ''Crocosmia fucata'' (Namaqualand, Cape region)

★ ''Crocosmia luciferans''

★ ''Crocosmia maculata''

★ ''Crocosmia masonorum'' (Giant Montbretia)

★ ''Crocosmia mathewsiana''

★ ''Crocosmia paniculata'' (Aunt-Eliza)

★ ''Crocosmia pauciflora''

★ ''Crocosmia pearsei''

★ ''Crocosmia pottsii'' (Pott's Montbretia)

Natural hybrids

★ ''Crocosmia x crocosmoides''

★ ''Crocosmia x latifolia''

Garden hybrids

★ ''Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora'' : montbretia. A garden hybrid of ''C. aurea'' and ''C. pottsii'', first bred by Victor Lemoine in 1880. Cultivars within ''crocosmiiflora'' include:

★
★ ‘His Majesty’ Flowers large, orange.

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★ 'Jackanapes' Flowers orange-red, inner lobes golden yellow.

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★ ‘Solfatare’ Yellow flowers with bronze foliage.

References

★ 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.