Description:

• Deciduous perennials
• Rootstock a depressed globose corm rooting from below, basal in origin, tunics firm-papery, sometimes becoming coarsely fibrous
• Stem aerial, terete, simple or branched
• Leaves several, lower 2 or 3 cataphylls, foliage leaves unifacial, with a definite midrib composed of more than one pair of veins, mostly basal and forming distichous fan, blades lanceolate to sword-shaped, plane, cauline leaves few and reduced
• Inflorescence a spike, flowers distichous or secund, usually many and crowded; bracts small, green, becoming dry at tips, firm-textured, inner as long or shorter than outer and notched apically
• Flowers zygomorphic, orange, lower tepals with contrasting markings or green, unscented, with nectar from septal nectaries; perianth tube long, cylindric below and sometimes spirally twisted, expanded abruptly and tubular and horizontal above
• Tepals unequal and dissimilar, dorsal largest, extended horizontally and concave, remaining tepals much smaller, usually recurved
• Stamens unilateral and arcuate; filaments arising at base of upper part of tube, lower one slightly longer than other two; anthers parallel, subversatile; pollen monosulcate, operculate, exine perforate
• Style long-exserted, horizontal, branches filiform
• Capsules globose, coriaceous, sometimes purple on inside
• Seeds globose, usually 2 per locule, raphal vascular trace excluded, orange, shiny and smooth when fresh, coat sometimes fleshy, then wrinkled on drying, surface laevigate
• x = 10

Classification Notes:

• Chasmanthe is doubtfully distinct from the related Crocosmia although the 2 differ in seed features and in their basic chromosome numbers

Nomenclature:

• Chasmanthe N.E.Br.
  • Brown: 273 (1932)
  • De Vos: 256 (1985)
  • De Vos: 143 (1999)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Species 3, Western Cape to Transkei (Eastern Cape), usually in bush, or forest margins

Additional Notes:

• The bright orange seeds of Chasmanthe are thought to be adapted to bird dispersal
• The flowers are pollinated by sunbirds and the flowers have the red to orange colour, the exserted anthers, long perianth tube, extended upper tepal and reduced lower tepals typical of bird-pollinated flowers in Iridaceae