| St Bernard's lily | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Agavoideae |
| Genus: | Anthericum |
| Species: | A. liliago |
| Binomial name | |
| Anthericum liliago | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Anthericum liliago, theSt Bernard's lily, is aspecies offlowering plant in thefamilyAsparagaceae. It isnative to mainland Europe (not the British Isles) and Turkey, growing in dry pastures, stony places and open woods and flowering in early summer. In Sweden, the northernmost stable populations grows along the rocky shores ofLake Sommen (58° N), albeit on occasions it has been found as far north asUppland (60° N).[2][3]
The specific epithetliliago means lily-like or lily-carrier. Like many plants whose common names include "lily", it is not closely related to the truelilies.
It is a vigorousherbaceous floweringperennial withtuberous roots, 60–90 cm (2.0–3.0 ft) high, with leaves narrowly linear, 12–40 cm (4.7–15.7 in) and producingracemes of 6-10 lily-like white flowers in Spring and Summer.
Best grown in well-drained soil in a sunny position,A. liliago can bepropagated by seed or by division of the rootstock every 3 to 4 years. It is a slow starter but forms large clumps with time (USDA Zone 6). The cultivar 'Major' has gained theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[4]
