Tritonia

Read about Tritonia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Tritonia (name explained as follows by Ker-Gawler, its author: "Name derived from Triton, in the signification of a vane or weathercock; in allusion to the variable direction in the stamens of the different species"). Including Montbretia. Iridaceae. Blazing Star. Showy-flowered corm-bearing herbs used both as greenhouse and summer-blooming subjects. Corms or bulbs small, covered with fibrose sheaths or tunics: sts. simple or slightly branched: lvs. few, narrow-linear or broader and sword-shaped, usually falcate: spathes disposed along the rachis or the few branches, short, membranaceous, often 8-toothed: fls. 1 to a spathe, sessile; perianth-tube slender, limb concave or broadly campanulate, lobes obovate or oblong, nearly equal; ovary 3-celled: caps. membranaceous, ovoid or oblong.—About 50 species, S. Afr. Allied to Crocosmia, Acidanthera, Sparaxis, and Gladiolus. Few of them are in general cult., although many of the species have been intro. at one time or another. Those of the Montbretia class are showy hardy summer-flowering bulbs, to be handled like gladioli; or they may be left in the ground permanently if given protection of mulch in cold climates. As far north as N. Y. and Mass., however, they are usually best wintered in damp (not wet) earth indoors. The best-known kinds are T. crocosmaeflora and T. Pottsii. Most of the Latin names in catalogues belong to these, as sulphurea, tigridia, pyramidalis, grandiflora, elegans, floribunda. To gardeners, tritonias are usually known as montbretias. Garden tritonias grow 1 ft. or more tall, producing several to many showy fls. of a yellow, orange, or red color, and bearing several stiffish linear or sword-shaped lvs. Some of the following plants occur in the trade under Montbretia and have never been transferred to Tritonia. They are little known botanically and in some cases are probably hybrids or forms of T. crocosmaeflora and are here listed as Montbretias as signified by the M. before the specific name.—T. aurea, Pappe (M. aurea, Hort.). See Crocosmia aurea.—T. crispa, Ker-Gawl. Fl. whitish or pale pink, with oblong, obtuse segms. and with crisped lvs. B.M. 678.— T. deusta, Ker-Gawl. Differs from T. crocata in having a purple-black blotch on the claw of the 3 outer segms. B.M. 622.—M. elegans, Hort., has yellow and apricot fls.; possibly a form of T. crocosmaeflora.—T. flava, Ker-Gawl. Fls. bright yellow, the segms. oblong and the 3 lower ones with a callus in the throat: lvs. very short. B.R. 747.—M. germanica, Hort., is offered in the trade as a form with scarlet fls., shaded with orange, 3 in. across.—T. hyalina, Baker. Differs from T. crocata in having the perianth-segms. narrowed at the lower part into a claw with hyaline margin. B. M. 704 (as T. fenestrata).—T. lineata, Ker-Gawl. Fls. white or pink, with short oblong segms. and protruding anthers, of the shape of gladiolus fls. B.M. 487 (as Gladiolus lineatus).—M. Prometheus, Hort, is a horticultural form which grows up to 4 ft. high, with branching spikes of rich orange or orange-red fls., 3 1/2 in. across, their center crimson. Gn. 71, suppl. Jan. 19. G.M. 49:815.—M. rosea. Hort., is offered in the trade as a form growing 3 ft. or more high with long arching spikes of rose or bright salmon-rose fls.—T. scillaris, Baker. Small and slender: fls. pink, with wide-flaring narrow segms., ixia-like, B.M. 629 (as Ixia polystachya).—T. securigera, Ker-Gawl. Lvs. short: fls. red or copper-colored, the 3 lower segms. with a callus on the claw. B.M. 383 (as Gladiolus securiger).—T. undulata, Baker. Lvs. short and narrow, much crisped: fls. pink, with oblong equal segms. B.M. 599 (as Ixia crispa).—T. viridis, Ker-Gawl. Lvs. plane or crisped, linear: fls. green, with nearly equal oblanceolate segms. B.M. 1275.—T. Wilsonii, Baker. Lvs. very narrow-linear: racemes simple or forked, lax, few-fld.: fls. white, tinged with purple, the segms. obovate-cuspidate. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.