Aug 30, 6:40 AM

PlantFiles: King's Spear, Yellow Asphodel
Asphodeline lutea

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Family: Asphodelaceae (as-foh-del-AY-see-ee) (Info)
Genus: Asphodeline (as-fah-DEL-in-ee) (Info)
Species: lutea (LOO-tee-uh) (Info)

Synonym:Asphodelus luteus

5 members have or want this plant for trade.

Category:
Perennials

Height:
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)

Spacing:
12-15 in. (30-38 cm)

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F)
USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)

Sun Exposure:
Full Sun

Danger:
Unknown - Tell us

Bloom Color:
Bright Yellow

Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer

Foliage:
Blue-Green
Smooth-Textured

Other details:
Flowers are fragrant
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater

Soil pH requirements:
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)

Propagation Methods:
By dividing the rootball
From seed; direct sow outdoors in fall

Seed Collecting:
Allow pods to dry on plant; break open to collect seeds

By philomel

By Baa

By saya

There are a total of 14 photos.
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Profile:

1 positive
1 neutral
No negatives

Gardeners' Notes:

Rating	Author	Comment
Positive	saya	On Jul 26, 2003, saya from Heerlen (Netherlands) (Zone 8b) wrote: This is a very showy plant in my garden. The grassy leaves are grey/green and stay showy during wintertime. It's a Mediterranean plant and allows lots of sun and drought. Bloomingtime is about six weeks in early summer. They make nice round (balls) seedpods. The plants I have are sown by myself. I can highly recommand this plant to you. "..The asphodel (or king’s spear) of the ancients, sacred to Persephone and associated with the fields of the dead, was Asphodeline lutea..;..Yellow Asphodels were supposed to grow in the mythological Elysian fields where heroes enjoyed new life after death.." (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001)
Neutral	Baa	On Sep 8, 2001, Baa wrote: Clump forming perennial from Central and East Mediterranean and Western Turkey. Has very thin, almost grassy looking, blue-green leaves up to 14 inches long. Bears long, dense spikes of yellow, fragrant, star shaped flowers with 5 petals. Flowers April - June. Needs very well drained soil in full sun.

Regional...

This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:

Kalama, Washington

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