Leucocoryne (genus, Glory-of-the-sun)

Japanese name: レウココリネ
Scientific name: Leucocoryne

[Overview]
A perennial.
It has a small underground bulb with a brown outer coat.
The leaves are linear, with several growing from the base.
Umbels, 2–5 in number, bear several flowers each.
Two bracts are attached at the base of the inflorescence.
The flowers have 6 petals, open almost flat, and are fragrant.
The fruit is a capsule.
The aboveground parts die back by June, and the plant is dormant through the summer.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by dividing bulbs.
It can also be grown from seed, but it takes 4–5 years to flower.
Plant about 4–5 bulbs in a No. 5 pot at a depth of about 5 cm.
Even when the bulbs go dormant, leave them in place without digging them up.
It prefers fertile, well-drained soil.
It prefers a warm, sunny environment in winter, so take care that it does not freeze during the winter growing period, and keep it from becoming hot and humid in summer.
Grow it in a sunny place from winter through the flowering season, and in a place with bright shade after that.
For plants in the ground, under a deciduous tree is good.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries from sprouting through the period when leaves are present; no watering is needed after the leaves fall.
For plants in the ground, no watering is particularly needed.
From sprouting to flowering, place slow-release fertilizer on the soil once a month, or give liquid fertilizer once a week.
Once fruit forms, nutrients do not reach the bulb, so remove spent flowers promptly to fatten the bulb.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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