Chasmanthe floribunda Duckittii - African Flag

Chasmanthe floribunda 'Duckittii' is a beautiful plant with yellow flowers. This South African plant is related to crocosmias. Like the latter, it develops from a corm into a beautiful dense and upright clump from which robust floral stems emerge. Its flowers are finer and appear early in spring. Much better adapted to Mediterranean-type climates than crocosmias, Chasmanthe floribunda is easily cultivated in the ground on the Mediterranean coast and in beds with other plants with staggered flowering. Elsewhere, it can be used to create beautiful pots that can be protected from frost in winter. Alternatively, the corms can be planted in spring and dug up before the first frosts. The plant will then flower in summer.

Chasmanthe floribunda, sometimes called African Flag, belongs to the Iridaceae family. This botanical species is native to the Cape region in South Africa. 'Duckittii' is a rare form found only in a small area near the town of Darling in the Western Cape. It is an herbaceous perennial plant with an underground storage organ called a corm. This corm dies below -5°C (23°F) and the foliage is destroyed as soon as it freezes. In nature, its vegetation emerges from the ground in autumn with the return of rain, in the form of a clump of stiff and upright linear leaves that are light green in colour. Flowering takes place in March-April for 3 to 4 weeks, then the foliage dries up at the end of spring or early summer. The plant then enters a period of dormancy to escape the heat and drought in dry soil. It reaches about 1m (3ft) in height and 40cm (16in) in width. Its leaves measure 30 to 45cm (12 to 18in) in length. The yellow-green flattened flower stalks bear many finely tubular flowers, 8cm (3in) long. These pure yellow blooms are arranged in zigzags in two rows. On each flower, the very long upper petal releases long stamens with golden anthers. After pollination by insects, capsules containing seeds are formed which can spontaneously reseed under favourable conditions.

These plants will easily replace crocosmias in frost-free mild gardens where they will require little maintenance. Elsewhere, they can be used to create beautiful flowering pots from spring. These vigorous but hungry plants are easy to grow in containers. They can be planted in semi-shade or full sun. Plant them in groups of 10 corms, in light, fertile soil that remains moist throughout their growth period. Their warm-toned blooms form beautiful combinations with annuals (love-in-a-mist and poppies) and blend well in exotic settings, with agapanthus taking over in summer. They always look wonderful with garden irises, grasses, and plants with grey foliage.