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Iridaceae.
Crocosmia aurea Planch. Specimens of a persistent garden escape were determined at Kew in 1930 at Crocosmia aurea Planch., and recorded by Allan (1935: 3), and all subsequent gatherings of this plant have been placed under this name. I have been unable to match our specimens with descriptions of this species, and, in fact, have been, unable to work the plant down satisfactorily to a genus. The style branches in our material are distinctly bifid, the ovules many
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(usually more than 15), the outer spathe valve usually emarginate, and the scape lacks wings, characters not typical of this species. It may be that New Zealand material belongs to the inter-generic hybrid Tritonia crocosmiaefolia (Leh.) Nichols, a hybrid between Tritonia pottsii Baker and Crocosmia aurea Planch., but I have been unable to obtain a good description of this plant. This garden hybrid has been recorded as a garden escape at Fiji by Smith (1943: 535) and at Hawaii by Fagerland and Mitchell (1944: 37).
Apart from the question of identity, this species is a persistent garden escape in many localities, and has very definite claims to naturalization. Allan (1940: 305) gives the distribution only for the North Island, but it must now be extended to the South Island: Picton, 44724; Motueka, 44741; Takamatua Bay, Akaroa Harbour, 48796; Timaru, R. Mason 51375; Redan Valley, near Wyndham, Southland, 45926.