Family: Amaryllidaceae
Common name: Autumn zephyrlily, White windflower, Peruvian swamp lily, Rain lily
This scraggly plant with its thin unruly leaves, looks quite unimpressive, till they burst into gorgeous white flowers by the dozen. It’s also called rain lily because the flowers usually bloom after rains.
Plant Characteristics
Rain lilies grow to a height of 15-30 cm with thin, long, dark green leaves that originate from the center of the plant.
The flowers bloom on thin shafts which look like leaves until it open out into a pristine little flowers that are pink, white, or yellow in color. These flowers have 5 distinct petals, prominent stamens and style. Rain flowers are very attractive to small birds, bees, insects, and butterflies.
Gardening Tips
Autumn Zephyrlilies grow best in full or partial sunlight. They can grow in water-logged areas with clayey, muddy soil. During autumn and winter, the leaves are present, but the plant looks very inconspicuous in the garden.
Lilies are not indoor plants, though it can grown on sunny windowsills. There are over a 1000 species in this family of Amaryllidaceae.
Deadheading spent flowers can make the plant look pretty. They need regular watering and fertilization mainly during the summer months.
This plant has significant medical properties and is used in traditional Chinese medicine as an antipyretic, and to relieve insomnia, headache, and even epilepsy.
Propagation
Propagation is by splitting the plant bulbs at the root and replanting them. Parent plants produce small plantlets near them, gradually increasing the size of the clumps.
Photo Courtesy: love4gardening.com