PlantFiles: Chinese Lantern Lily, Christmas Bells
Sandersonia aurantiaca

Bought bulbs through mail order after seeing them in a friend's garden. This is its 3rd year to bloom, getting larger each year, with five blooming stems now. I grow it in a pot with regular potting soil where it gets about 1/2 day of sun. I leave it in the pot, outside all winter and have had no problems (San Francisco), so was surprised to hear lifting in the winter is recommended

Once grew Sandersonias commercially from seed for both tuber production and flower stem sale. Grew in bark compost in wooden sided beds for tuber sizing up and in polystyrene boxes for flowering.
Seeds were harvested by gathering flowering stems ( hedge cutter used) from growing on tubers. Dried them indoors for several weeks, then put through threshing machine. Seeds were placed into fine mesh bags and hung up in a dry dark shed.
These seeds were planted in Spring into seed trays and grown outside to size up. Would flower after replanting the next season.
Flowering stems for sale were grown in a greenhouse in ppolystyrene boxes, fertilized compost, trickle irrigation and two sets of support mesh which were moved up the support standards, this was necessary to ensure straight stems.
Stems were cut, graded for sized stem lengths, the stems placed into floss packets and packed into cartons ready to go to the exporters.

The plant, just like Gloriosa was recently moved to a separate family, called Colchicaceae. Along with the Colchicum, naturally..

FYI: Colchicine is an old drug used to treat acute gout. Just purchased some bulbs at the Nursery Sale in Clark County Fairgrounds, Washington, and my joints aren't even aching!

This is the 1st year at growing this one. Have grown 2 in a pot and will collect seeds and try them. I haven't overwintered it yet but will put one into the ground before frost and bring other one inside to go dormant.

I got 3 bulbs from a grower in Tillamook OR this year, and they have done absolutly wonderful. I just love them, they are so Cute! They really like the Oregon coast wether.

I bought three of these as bulbs from the cow palace garden show. Only one of them worked. My plant was much smaller then expected.

I received this plant as a gift, unidentified and with no culture directions. One site classifies it as a member of the family Colchicaceae. If this is accurate, it contains colchicine and is therefore toxic.