| Synonyms: |
Tritonia aurea Pappe ex Hook. |
| Common names: | Montbretia (English) Valentine flower (English) |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Perennial herb, normally 60-100 cm, growing from corms and spreading by underground stolons. Stems strongly arched, often branched. Leaves several, linear-lanceolate, shorter or longer than the stem. Inflorescence a terminal 7-12-flowered spike. Flowers usually directed towards the ground, bright orange-red, sometimes with darker markings at the base of the tepals; tepals narrowly elliptic, 12-38 mm long, spreading horizontally. Capsules depressed globose, 12-15 mm in diameter, bright orange-red on the inside. and spreading by underground stolons. |
| Type location: |
South Africa |
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | aurea: golden. |
| Habitat: | In forest margins and clearings. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | Dec - Apr (-Jul) |
| Worldwide distribution: | DRC, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, South Africa. |
| Botanical divisions: | |
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Baumann, G. (2005). Photographic Guide to Wildflowers of Malawi Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi Pages 204 - 205. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 309. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 17. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 127. As Crocosmia aurea Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22 SANBI, Pretoria Page 186. only as C. aurea Goldblatt, P. (1993). Iridaceae Flora Zambesiaca 12(4) Pages 49 - 51. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 92. Moriarty, A. (1975). Wild Flowers of Malawi Purnell & sons Cape Town. Pages 11 - 12. (Includes a picture). Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 110. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 83. |