Crocosmia Flowers
Name : Crocosmia Flowers
Latin Name : Genus: Crocosmia, (Crocosmia masonorum)
Crocosmia Description
Crocosmia is a small genus comprising of about 9 perennial species in the iris family Iridaceae. Crocosmia is native to the grasslands of Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. Crocosmia plants can be evergreen or deciduous perennial herbs and grow from basal underground corms.
The genus derives its name from the Greek words krokos, meaning "saffron", and osme, meaning "odor". This is due to the fact that when dried Crocosmia flowers are dipped in water, they create a saffron-like scent.
Common names include Coppertips or Falling stars, and in Britain Crocosmia are known as Montbretia. Other names, for hybrids and cultivars, include Antholyza, Lucifer and Curtonus.
The common name “Montbretia” is a tribute to Antoine François Ernest Conquebert de Montbret (1781-1801), one of the botanists who accompanied Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt from 1798 to 1801, where he died.
Crocosmias have leafless, arching, branched stems that can grow up to 4 feet in length with two-ranked “combs” of brightly coloured, tubular blooms that have star-shaped “faces” at their ends. Leaves fan from the bases of the plant are narrow, sword-shaped and parallel veined. Crocosmia foliage looks similar to that of iris, while its blossoms resemble freesia.
Crocosmia flower from early summer well into fall. Insects, wind and hummingbirds help in pollination. Crocosmia can be propagated through division, removing offsets from the corm in spring. The beautiful Crocosmia flowers stay for about 3-4 weeks. Average plant height is about 35-40 inches. 'Lucifer' Crocosmia reaches a height of about 3'.
Crocosmia are available in shades of crimson/scarlet, red-orange, orange, yellow and tan colours. Hybrid varieties have red, yellow and orange flowers.
Crocosmia flowers are winter-hardy in temperate regions and should be planted in full sun to partial shade. They can grow in moist soils but prefer a well-drained loamy or sandy soil with a pH of neutral to slightly alkaline. Common pests that attack Crocosmia are thrips, spiders and mites.
Crocosmia are perfect for flower beds and borders. Crocosmia produce vivid, radiant colours that will enliven dull areas of your garden. Crocosmia works great for planting in masses or in a mixed perennial border. Some Crocosmia varieties do have a tendency to become invasive in the flowerbed. This can be remedied by frequent division.
As fresh cut flowers, Crocosmia can add colour and height to any arrangement. With a vase life 7-14 days, Crocosmia are a perfect way to add radiant colour and texture to a bouquet or a table centre piece. They work equally well in dry arrangements and can easily be air dried. Crocosmia seed pods occur after flowering is finished. They can be used to add appealing texture to any arrangement; you can also paint them in any colour that suits the colour scheme of your arrangement.
Crocosmia are available both as small-flowering and large-flowering varieties. Popular varieties include C. masonorum, C. 'Lucifer', C. crocosmiiflora, C. fucata, C. aurea and C. paniculata.
Crocosmia Meaning
The Crocosmia flower is associated with the zodiac sign Leo, and is thought to suit people belonging to this sign. Crocosmia is also the birth flower of the month of August.
Crocosmia Mythology
