Japanese name: キバナサフランモドキ Scientific name:Zephyranthes citrina
[Overview]
An evergreen perennial about 20–30 cm tall.
It has a spherical bulb 2–3 cm across underground.
The leaves are linear, 20–30 cm long and 0.3–0.4 cm wide, growing in tufts.
A single yellow flower is borne at the tip of a flower stalk 20–30 cm tall.
The flowers face upward; the perianth is 6-lobed, and the bases of the tepals are tinged with green.
Each flower closes after 1–3 days, but flower stalks keep emerging one after another, so the flowering period is long.
The fruit is a capsule.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by dividing the bulbs.
It prefers a fertile, well-drained place in sun to partial shade.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply base fertilizer, and also a fertilizer high in potassium after flowering.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
[Notes]
The leaves and bulb contain a toxic component called lycorine, so care is needed not to eat them by mistake for Chinese chives, asatsuki (a type of chive), or nobiru (wild garlic).
