Tricyrtis
Toad Lily
Some say this fascinating species owes its common name to the Philippine Tasaday Indians’ practice of wiping their hands with juice from the blossoms before setting out to collect frogs. Others say it’s the unusual spotted flowers that account for the name.
Whichever story is true, the blooms have such detail and quiet beauty that they should be admired close-up. They open on gently arching stems for long periods in late summer and early fall, when most other flowers are already spent. With a moist, humus-rich soil, all the Toad Lilies will form elegant clumps.
Cresting showy 5-branched terminal panicles, the gleaming 1 ½ in. wide jewel-box-like flowers are comprised of a subtly gold-dusted center and 3 ivory-colored petals with reddish purple speckles plus 3 darker petals colored in deep violet and mauve. A 2005 Darrell Probst cross between T. formosana and T. lasiocarpa, ‘Taipei Silk’s elaborate late season floral display is presented above stiff straight stems and lustrous greenery. (pp#18,727)
Blooms September–October
Size: 2-1/2' high x 18" wide.
Hardy to zone 5.
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