Clare’s mom lives next door to a master gardener who has — as one would expect — many beautiful and interesting plants. Today she called me over to see the late-blooming “Tricyrtis hirtas.” From the Missouri Botanical Garden:
“Toad lily is perhaps best known for its unique flowers, ability to bloom in shade and late summer to early fall bloom time. Features small, lily-like flowers (1 inch long) with six showy tepals (similar appearing sepals and petals). Flowers appear in the upper leaf axils and stem ends either solitary or more often in small clusters (cymes) of 2-3 flowers each. White to pale lilac flowers with heavy purple spotting. Arching, unbranched stems grow upright to 2-3' tall. Sometimes called hairy toad lily because all parts of the plant are hairy” http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=282246&isprofile=0&
Interestingly, Missouri Botanical Garden places this species in the “Liliaceae” family while PhytoImages has it in “Melanthiaceae.”
Retired economics professor (“dismal scientist”). Married 40+ years to the love of my life; we have two grown daughters, both married, two granddaughters and a...
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