Bright orange flowers on tall stalks above leaves blooming in a San Diego California garden, attract honey bees and hummingbirds. Crocosmia, also known as montbretia, is a small genus of flowering plants in the iris family, Iridaceae. It is native to the grasslands of southern and eastern Africa. HTBphotos by John and Katharina Notarianni for websites, print, news and other media.