Dave's Garden - Gardening Community

PlantFiles: Aztec Lily, Jacobean Lily
Sprekelia formosissima

 
  Welcome!  
You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!

Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.

  Login  
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.

Username:

Password:


Family: Amaryllidaceae (am-uh-ril-id-AY-see-ay) (Info)
Genus: Sprekelia (sprek-EL-ee-uh) (Info)
Species: formosissima (for-mo-SIS-ee-muh) (Info)

3 vendors have this plant for sale.

6 members have or want this plant for trade.

Category:
Bulbs

Height:
12-18 in. (30-45 cm)

Spacing:
6-9 in. (15-22 cm)

Hardiness:
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)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)

Sun Exposure:
Sun to Partial Shade

Danger:
Unknown - Tell us

Bloom Color:
Red

Bloom Time:
Late Spring/Early Summer

Foliage:
Blue-Green
Smooth-Textured

Other details:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater

Soil pH requirements:
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)

Propagation Methods:
By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets)

Seed Collecting:
N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed

By Ulrich
Thumbnail #1 of Sprekelia formosissima by Ulrich

By Lophophora
Thumbnail #2 of Sprekelia formosissima by Lophophora

By palmbob
Thumbnail #3 of Sprekelia formosissima by palmbob

By WebKat
Thumbnail #4 of Sprekelia formosissima by WebKat

By eddiehuey
Thumbnail #5 of Sprekelia formosissima by eddiehuey

By palmbob
Thumbnail #6 of Sprekelia formosissima by palmbob

By palmbob
Thumbnail #7 of Sprekelia formosissima by palmbob

There are a total of 13 photos.
Click here to view them all!

Profile:

4 positives
2 neutrals
No negatives

Gardeners' Notes:

RatingAuthorComment
Neutral htop On Dec 26, 2007, htop from San Antonio, TX
(Zone 8b) wrote:

I have not grown this plant. Aztec Lily, Jacobean Lily (Sprekelia formosissima) is native to Mexico and Guatemala with its natural habitat being rocky hillsides. The 20 inch (50 cm) long leaves come out in spring about the same time as the about 5 inch (13 cm) the flower. The flower, which is bilaterally symmetrical like an orchid, stands about 12 in (30 cm) above ground. Even under optimal conditions, bulbs often don't bloom every year. In a grouping of 12 or so bulbs, only 2 or 3 may bloom in any given year. If the bulbs are disturbed, no blooms may occur for several years.

It needs to be dry when dormant (stop watering when the leaves begin to die back); however, povide some water during periods of new growth (start watering when the leaves and the bloom stem start to emerge) and when blooming. Offset bulblets can be separated and replanted in August with the neck and shoulders being just above ground level. In locations that have only light frosts, they should be protected with a heavy mulch. In colder regions, the bulbs should be dug up in the late fall and stored in a dry and frost free location. It is a great plant to use in rock gardens, makes an excellent container plant and can be grown as a houseplant. The most common reasons for bulb failure is over-watering when the bulb is dormant and the bulb being in poor draining soil which causes the bulb to rot. Aztec Lily is supposed to be deer and rodent resistant.

Thad Howard discovered a variation of the Aztec Lily growing in a garden in San Antonio, Texas that he called 'Orient Red'( also known as also known as 'Harrison's Orientred'. It was blooming in autumn. He bought 12 or so for a nickel apiece and began growing them. 'Orient Red' blooms reliably each year; whereas, many clones in cultivation do not and is much more floriferous than the typical selections. In San Antonio, it blooms in late spring, summer and fall. It loves a hot exposure and blooms in response to thunderstorms similar to the rain lily. The fall blooms have white stripes on the keel of the petal.

Positive tinmiami On Jul 3, 2006, tinmiami from Miami, FL wrote:

I received a bulb for this lovely lily and left it in the bag for a long time. Then I planted it on a Sunday and had a flower on Thursday!! Yes only a few days! I could not believe it. In another week I had yet another flower. I am a very inexperienced gardner and can only guess that the time it spent in a plastic bag (in severe humidity!) had something to do with the incredibly quick blooming it underwent. Can anyone tell me about the process? or is it because I am in zone 10b and it blooms better in this severe heat and humidity?

Positive TheTomato On May 17, 2006, TheTomato from Lincoln, NE
(Zone 5b) wrote:

I have this plant in my border garden, and this is my first year planting it. I was getting discouraged because it was seeming to take an unusually long time to get any sort of sprout (compared to other plants I am more familiar with), but then suddenly, after I had literally forgotten about it and moved on (almost 2 months after planting), a shoot came out of nowhere. The plant is very slow to germinate, but once it does it takes off- 6 inches in a few days for me. Compliments the tigridia and bearded irises surrounding it very nicely.

Positive joltnbolt On May 19, 2005, joltnbolt from Washington, DC wrote:

This plant is very easy to grow and has nice clean foliage. Each bulb will produce at least one if not more flowers in the spring and fall.

Positive WWGG49 On May 11, 2004, WWGG49 from Santa Maria, CA wrote:

A friend of mine has this beautiful flower growing in her garden in Arroyo Grande CA. The house is at least 75 years old and has always had Jacobean Lilies which seemed to have naturalized there.

Neutral smiln32 On Aug 24, 2001, smiln32 from Oklahoma City, OK
(Zone 7a) wrote:

In Zones 9-10, plant in fall. In colder areas plant in spring. Choose a site with full sun and fast-draining, organic, sandy, slightly acid soil. Space bulbs 8-12" apart and 4" deep. In cold areas, let the bulbs go dry after they flower. Dig and store the bulbs in sand or peat moss in a cool location for the winter. Hardy in Zones 9-10.
Indoor Culture - Plant 1 bulb in a 6" pot with the neck of the bulb above the surface of the soil. Keep lightly moist. Give the plant at least 4 hours of sunlight a day. Feed monthly with 5-10-5 fertilizer. Rest the bulb from October to February. Repot every 3-4 years.

Regional...

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

Clarksville, Arkansas
Albany, California
Manhattan Beach, California
Modesto, California
San Marino, California
Sonoma, California
Washington, District Of Columbia
Boca Raton, Florida
Merritt Island, Florida
Miami, Florida
Braselton, Georgia
Baltimore, Maryland
Lincoln, Nebraska
Roswell, New Mexico
Raleigh, North Carolina (2 reports)
Clatskanie, Oregon
Fulton, Texas
Houston, Texas
Liberty, Texas
Richmond, Texas
San Antonio, Texas



We recommend Firefox
Overwhelmed? There's a lot to see here. Try starting at our homepage.

[ Home | About | Advertise | Mission | Acceptable Use Policy | Tour | Privacy Policy | Contact Us ]

Back to the top

Copyright © 2000-2008 Dave's Garden. All Rights Reserved.

All times are recorded in EDT
 

Gardens.com Pixamo Photo Sharing Bloom.com Landscaping.com

Hope for America