Overview
Notholirion hyacinthinum is a garden plant in the genus Notholirion, part of the Liliaceae family. It is native to Himalayas.
About
Notholirion hyacinthinum is a bulbous member of the lily family that produces a single flowering event before the parent bulb dies back and is replaced by offsets. It is native to the Himalayas and closely related to Lilium. The bulb is covered by a tunic and produces basal leaves through autumn and winter. Flowering occurs in April to May.
About the genus
Notholirion is a small Asian genus of bulbous plants in the lily family, Liliaceae. It is closely related to Lilium, but each individual flowers only once, and then dies after producing offsets.
In the garden
Notholirion hyacinthinum is a bulbous plant in the Liliaceae, native to the Himalayas and closely related to true lilies (Lilium). It is monocarpic at the level of an individual bulb: after a single season of flowering the parent bulb dies back but sets offsets that continue the plant’s line. The bulb itself is protected by a tunic, and leaves form at the base in autumn and through winter, preceding the spring flowers in April to May. The lifecycle dictates a simple approach to management. Allow the basal leaves to develop and remain until they wither naturally so they can replenish the offsets; do not cut foliage prematurely. After flowering, expect the flowering bulb to decline while small daughter bulbs form; these may be left in place to increase into a clump or lifted and separated once they are clearly established. In a UK garden Notholirion hyacinthinum suits sites where its winter foliage and spring flowers can be appreciated rather than hidden beneath late-season planting. Plan plantings with the expectation that flowering comes from successive generations of offsets rather than repeated blooms from the same bulb.
Plant details
Notholirion hyacinthinum size, habit and characteristics
- Native to
- Himalayas
More in the Notholirion genus
- Notholirion bulbiferum
- Notholirion macrophyllumlarge-leaved false lily
- Notholirion thomsonianumThomson's lily
- Notholirion campanulatumbell-flowered lily