Chasmanthe vs. Crocosmia

Chasmanthe aethiopica taking over a Berkeley garden:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hortulus_aptus/2346603440/ (photo taken in March)
Chasmanthe floribunda:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hortulus_aptus/2282943942/ (photo taken in February)
Chsmanthe floribunda 'Ducketii' (a clear yellow form from the Ducket ranch in South Africa, photo taken in January):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hortulus_aptus/2181018371/

Crocosmia
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7582835@N04/3852718739/ (photo taken in August)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80053525@N04/7517025866 (photo taken in July)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63669472@N00/3783309032/ (probably 'Lucifer', photo taken in August)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50276065@N00/221794221/ (photo taken in August)

See also an old e-mail from this list (attached).
--
SeÃn O.
http://about.me/seanaohara


On Tue, May 21, 2013 at 4:21 PM, <p*@att.net> wrote:
Hi Nan,

No, chasmanthe blooms in late winter, crocosmia species and varieties bloom in early to late summer. Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (the most common one) blooms in early summer, 'Solfatare' in about September here.

The flowers are different too. Chasmanthe has a long top petal, then four shorter ones. Croscosmia's petals (or tepals) are all the same length. Chasmanthe floribunda is less invasive than C. aethiopica.

Also, many cultivars of crocosmia are less vigorous than C. x crocosmiiflora. My 'Solfatare' has grown in one neat clump for the past 4 years. It may need dividing next year. My 'Emily McKenzie' is struggling with our cool, damp summers, but I think It is strong enough to bloom well this year, its third in my garden.

I wrote about these and many other somewhat "vigorous" old California garden plants in my book Wildly Successful Plants: Northern California. True, some of them may be less rambunctious here than in the southern part of the state. But I grow many of them and consider deadheading them and removing unwanted seedlings (or transplanting them) just part of gardening. The book allows one to decide which are OK for their garden and which not so much. It also provides information on them, including maintenance, management, removal, and tamer related species and cultivars.

In truth, I find many plants considered "choice" have turned out to be more troublesome than most of the ones I listed.

Pam Peirce

From: Nan Sterman <T*@plantsoup.com>
To: medit plants forum <m*@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Tue, May 21, 2013 3:28:45 PM
Subject: Re: What I wish I hadn't planted

Funny, Karrie, I've not had that problem with Macfadyena but its good to know. ÂAs for the Crocosmia, same thing here. ÂJust to be sure, Crocosmia bloom in spring, Chasmanthe in summer? ÂThey look so similar that the best way to distinguish between them is bloom time

To: MEDIT-PLANTS@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Crocosmia or Chasmanthe?
From: "Sean O'Hara"
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 97 23:14:10 PST

>From: jtringl@wco.com (James Ringland)
>Subject: Crocosmia or Chasmanthe?
>Sender: owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
>Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 05:49:29 GMT
>
> Here is a plant identification question for California or other
> warm-climate gardeners.  There is a very common bulb in bloom right
> now in many of the gardens in my older Oakland, California
> neighborhood.  (This area is Sunset Zone 16: we get no more than a few
> degrees of frost on the coldest winter days.)  The plant has linear
> leaves about 2 feet long and stalks of red-orange tubular flowers to 3
> or 4 feet.  Reading through the Sunset Western Garden Book CD I see
> two choices.  Is this Crocosmia crocosmiiflora (Montbretia) or
> Chasmanthe aethiopica?    <snip>

Jim -

Here is something I can definitely speak to.  It is not an uncommon
bit of confusion, especially here in Calif.'s SF East Bay where
these plants are quite common.

Chasmanthe floribunda is the true name of the plant you see in
flower all around town right now (often erroneous called C.
aethiopica).  It can grow from 2-6ft tall, with bright green,
sheathed fans of thin textured leaves, topped by a two-sided spike
of hooked flowers, usually red-orange, but there is a nice, clear
yellow (C. f. 'Ducketii').  The spike is upright, with a sublte
curve over and up at the tip, causing it to lean a bit into the
light.  The flowers are borne on opposite sides of this, and are
tubular, curved or hooked, with an arching, narrow, hood-like top
petal, and 5, recurved, wide spreading lower petals.  Chasmanthe
means 'gaping mouth', refering to the floral structure.

Chasmanthe aethiopica (sometimes called C. bicolor) is smaller, with
a distinctive 'shepards crook' spike (arching over itself like a
candy-cane) and flowers red on the upper side of the tube, and
yellow or greenish on the lower, borne more or less to one side of
the spike.  The lower 5 petals are reduced to almost nothing in this
species.  This is also very common in the East Bay, seeding itself
freely like its cousin.

Both of these bulbs grow in the fall and flower now (early spring),
turning yellow and going completely dormant in our (dry) summer -
i.e. perfectly adapted for naturalization.

Crocosmias vary considerable, but are primarily summer growers,
usually blooming in late summer and fall.  But I've seen some hybrid
strains that bloom and grow almost continually.  They can also vary
in height, flower color, vigor, etc.  Crocosmia 'Lucifer', a popular
hybrid, is quite vigorous and tall, and apparently has some
Chasmanthe blood in it (they must have done some interesting
'forcing' to get them to bloom together!), which likely accounts for
these traits.  I've often had a lot of trouble 'keying out'
Crocosmias.  Instead, I try and keep track of clones I like so that
I might gain access to some stock when the need arises.

Sean A. O'Hara
h o r t u l u s  -  a p t u s
'a garden suited to its purpose'
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