Crocosmia
Crocosmia (;), also known as montbretia, is a small genus of flowering plants in the iris family, Iridaceae. It is native to the grasslands of southern and eastern Africa, ranging from South Africa to Sudan. One species is endemic to Madagascar. Description. They can be evergreen or deciduous perennials that grow from basal underground corms. The alternate leaves are cauline and ensiform (sword shaped). The blades are parallel-veined. The margin is entire. The corms form in vertical chains with the youngest at the top and oldest and largest buried most deeply in the soil. The roots of the lowermost  corm in a chain are contractile roots and drag the corm deeper into the ground where conditions allow. The chains of corms are fragile and easily separated, a quality that has enabled some species to become invasive and difficult to control in the garden. They have colourful inflorescences of 4 to 20 vivid red and orange subopposite flowers on a divaricately (horizontally) 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 (sunbirds) or by the wind. The dehiscent capsules are shorter than they are wide. The alternative name montbretia is still widely used. The genus name is derived from the Greek words "krokos", meaning "saffron", and "osme", meaning "odor" – from the dried leaves emitting a strong smell like that of saffron (a spice derived from "Crocus" – another genus belonging to the Iridaceae) – when immersed in hot water. Species. Species accepted by World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Cultivation. Crocosmias are grown worldwide, and more  than 400 cultivars have been produced. Some hybrids have become invasive, especially "C. "×" crocosmiiflora" hybrids, which are invasive in the UK, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, the American Pacific Northwest, and probably elsewhere. Crocosmia are winter-hardy in temperate regions. They can be propagated through division, removing offsets from the corm in spring. The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit: Other cultivars include: