WildflowersWild and cultivated

Crocosmia × crocosmiiflora

Montbretia

Orange-red arching sprays are familiar on western Irish roadsides, but this is an introduced garden hybrid of South African parentage.

See all four seasons Explore fruits, seeds & edibility ↓ Where to look & how to find it ↓

Some plants are poisonous. Do not identify by a photograph alone, and never taste them.

FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE

Finding guide

Season first

Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.

When to go: Usually flowers July–September; most above-ground growth dies in winter.
Where to start: Western Irish lanes and garden margins. Record escaped plants without spreading them.
What to do when you arrive: In late summer, look from safe pedestrian routes for arching orange-red flowers and sword-shaped leaves along western roadsides and garden edges. Do not obstruct roads or spread escaped plants by moving corms.

Habitat and behaviour reference: Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.

ONE PLANT · FOUR SEASONS

One plant. Four seasons.

Look beyond the flowers: fresh leaves, fruits, bare stems and dormancy.

Meteorological seasons: spring March–May, summer June–August, autumn September–November and winter December–February. Irish weather, cultivar, pruning and plant age affect timing and appearance.

Photos illustrate the relevant feature, not the same plant photographed through a year in Ireland. Features shared across seasons, such as evergreen leaves, may use the same reference. Missing reliable photos are marked; dormancy is not death.

Spring

Mar–May

Foliage and growth

Corms send up sword-like leaves that form fan-shaped clumps.

Summer

Jun–Aug

Flowers

Orange-red sprays open along arching stems in the later summer.

Autumn

Sep–Nov

Feature photo not yet availableUse the appearance notes below; a different seasonal stage is not substituted.

Seeds and spent flowers

Early autumn may retain flowers, followed by small capsules and yellowing leaves.

Winter

Dec–Feb

Underground or seed stageThere may be no visible above-ground plant at this stage. A flowering photo would be misleading.

Underground or seed dormancy

Most leaves brown or collapse while corms remain in soil; a bloom photo is not a winter view.

Seasonal references: Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.

FRUIT · SEED · FOOD SAFETY

Fruits, seeds & edibility

Know the structure, then the part. Recognising a plant does not make it food.

Fruit

Montbretia · Montbretia capsules changing from green to brown on the stem. — Montbretia capsules changing from green to brown on the stem.
Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0 ↗ License terms

Three-lobed capsules may form; fertility varies among hybrid plants and cultivars.

Food use of this part: Food safety not established by this guide

Seeds & dispersal units

Verified close-up not yet available

Refer to the description below until a suitable photo is verified; flowers or other species are not substituted.

Rounded seeds may develop when fertile, but corms and offsets often spread the plant; corms are not seeds.

Food use of this part: Food safety not established by this guide

Some seed references show intact one-seeded fruits or dispersal units, as identified in their captions. A whole-fruit photo is not a close-up of the enclosed seed. Cones and arils are not true fruits of flowering plants.

Sources & limitations

Wildflowers of Ireland ↗ · Botanical description, not proof of food safety

No field detoxification methods or safe doses are provided. Never taste a plant to identify it or eat treated or contaminated specimens. Seek professional help after suspected accidental ingestion. National Poisons Information Centre, Ireland ↗

Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.

BOTANICAL NOTESPlant notes

How to identify it

Sword-like leaves and arching stems with funnel-shaped orange-red, six-lobed flowers. Other Crocosmia cultivars can look similar.

Where it grows

Gardens, verges, old plantings and damp banks.

Growth and ecology

A perennial corm-forming hybrid capable of spreading outside gardens. Never dump corms or garden waste in the wild.

Flowering and seasons

Usually flowers July–September; most above-ground growth dies in winter.

Where to look

Western Irish lanes and garden margins. Record escaped plants without spreading them.

Seasons vary with weather and location. Suggested habitats are places to look, not guaranteed sightings. Photos show only some features; check leaves, flowers, fruits and specialist references together.

Further reading:Wildflowers of Ireland ↗

Photo license: KENPEI · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗ · License terms ↗
Photo resized, converted to JPEG and stripped of metadata.

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