Eliokarmos conicum (Ornithogalum conicum) (100 seeds)

Eliokarmos conicum (Ornithogalum conicum) (100 seeds)

It is a half-hardy, deciduous, winter-growing, bulbous plant, 350–600(–900) mm tall. It has a basal rosette of leaves that are oblong to lanceolate, spreading or suberect, and with entire margins, with a dense fringe of slender hairs. The leaves are 45–100(–120) mm long and 6–25(–30) mm broad and are one-third to one-quarter as long as the flowering stem. The plants grow during the rainy winter months, and the leaves wither in spring (Sep. –Oct.) so that the leaves are partially or completely dry at flowering. Each bulb produces a raceme of 15–30, star-shaped, shiny white flowers, tinted greenish yellow in the center, in early summer (Nov. –Dec.). The flowers are unscented to faintly honey-scented.

Sowing instructions: Seeds should be sown in autumn (March to May). Use 10 cm deep seed trays or pots and a well-drained, sterile sowing medium. Sow seeds thinly to prevent overcrowding and damping off. Cover with a thin layer of clean sand. Keep moist, but not wet, and place in a warm position. The young bulbs prefer a sunny position and very little moisture. Plant them in a potting mix that is sandy to loamy and very well-drained.

Locality: Portervile. Harvest: February 2024