Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (Lemoine) N. E. Br., Iridaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: autumn gold, crocosmia, garden montbretia, montbretia, Portuguese lily

Spanish: patas de gallo

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Plants 25-50 (-100) cm tall, with corms 2-3 cm in diameter and slender scaly stolons.  Leaves narrowly lanceolate, 30-50 cm long, 0.8-2 cm wide.  Spikes slightly flexuous, arching horizontally, with several branches, bracts 6-10 mm long; tepals orange, lanceolate, 15-25 mm long, 6-9 mm wide, subequal, spreading, the perianth tube slightly curved, 10-15 mm long; filaments 15-22 mm long; anthers 6-8 mm long.  Capsules up to 7 mm long, ca. 9 mm wide.  Seeds brown, wrinkled, usually not viable" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1446).

Habitat/ecology:  "Montbretia can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions - it grows in any soil, wet or dry, poor or rich, in sun or shade. It can be seen on roadsides, wasteland and the disturbed edges of bushland. However, it thrives along creeklines and watercourses where it spreads with great vigour, fed by nutrients in the stormwater, and competes fiercely with all other plants, including other weeds.  Montbretia displaces native creekline plants. It moves rapidly down watercourses into sensitive bushland. The mass of corms in the soil contributes to the breakdown of creek banks, erosion and siltation. Responsible for serious habitat loss"  (Weeds of Blue Mountains bushland).  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized along trails and roadsides primarily in mesic to wet forest, 170-1,200 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1446).

Propagation:  "It spreads solely vegetatively by stolons and corms" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1446).  "Each plant bears a string of flattened corms under the ground, up to 14 or more, each capable of producing another plant. Also produces rhizomes, and in some situations a mass of fine fibrous roots is also formed.  Spreads vigorously by corm production, and perhaps by seed. Rhizomes produce new plants. Corms wash down watercourses to form new infestations. The plant is also dispersed by the movement of soil containing corms, and is frequently dumped on bushland edges"  (Weeds of Blue Mountains bushland).

Native range:  "Of horticultural origin, now widely naturalized along roadsides and thickets in tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1446).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 22) "This garden plant has escaped from cultivation on the Island, presumably as a garden throw-out, and is now reproducing itself by the production of corms and stolons". Voucher cited: J.G. Conran 637 (K, NSW)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 461, 465, 552)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 461, 465, 552)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1446)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1446)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1446)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2010) (p. 36) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer & Perlman H60802 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1446) Voucher cited: Rock 4010 (BISH)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	Harley, Barbara (2009)
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 364) Ornamental.
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive cultivated	Healy, A. J./Edgar, E. (1980) (p. 121) "On roadsides and waste land, a garden escape well-naturalised", voucher cited: H. Carse (CHR 3531).
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Owen, S. J. (1997)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Naturalisé"

Control: 

Physical:  "Dig out very small sites. Usually futile in large spots as corms resprout. Dispose of corms at a refuse transfer station, by burning or by deep burial. 

Chemical:  1. Weed wipe (full leaf stage): 1g metsulferon-methyl 600g/kg + 100ml glyphosate +20 ml penetrant /L. 2. Spray (full leaf stage): glyphosate (10ml/L) + metsulferon-methyl 600g/kg (4g/10L) + penetrant"  (Weedbusters New Zealand).

Additional information:
Information and photos at Weeds of Blue Mountains bushland.
Information sheet from Weedbusters New Zealand.

Additional online information about Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

Harley, Barbara. 2009. Weeds of Blue Mountains bushland. (online resource).

Haselwood, E. L./Motter, G. G. 1983. Handbook of Hawaiian Weeds. Second edition, revised and expanded by Robert T. Hirano. University of Hawaii Press. 491 pp.

Healy, A. J./Edgar, E. 1980. Flora of New Zealand, Volume III: Adventive cyperaceous, petalous & spathaceous monocotyledons. Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand. 220 pp.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .

Oppenheimer, Hank. 2010. New Hawaiian plant records from Maui County for 2008. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucias G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2008. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 107:33-40.

Orchard, Anthony E., ed. 1994. Flora of Australia. Vol. 49, Oceanic islands 1. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Owen, S. J. 1997. Ecological weeds on conservation land in New Zealand: A database. Working draft. Wellington, New Zealand. Department of Conservation.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.