• Ledebouria Socialis Violacea — Leopard Lily — NOT SEEDS! : HEALTHY LIVE PLANTS

Description

Ledebouria Socialis
also known as
Silver Squill
•
Leopard Lily
•
Wood Hyacinth
Ledebouria Socialis is quite an unusual evergreen bulbous perennial,
native to arid savanna in the Eastern Cape Province
of Kwa-Zulu-Natal in South Africa.
————————————
First described in 1870 by the English botanist John Gilbert Baker and
named in honor of German botanist Dr. Carl F. von Ledebour (1785-1851)
it was formerly classified in the genus
Scilla
before being reclassified
as Ledebouria, its own unique taxonomic genus.
Ledebouria socialis has beautiful thick lance-shaped leaves,
mottled with silver and dark green spots in stunning patterns.
The bulbs, stems and undersides of the leaves are reddish purple.
A distant relative of the hyacinth
(both belong to the Hyacinthaceae family)
The Leopard Lily bears tiny, greenish white, bell
shaped flowers. Anthers top purple filaments with bright
yellow pollen. A small purple-pink stripe runs down each
petal, rising up on delicate pink stalks just above the
leaves. Each inflorescence can hold over 20 flowers.
Ledebouria’s fleshy teardrop-shaped epigeal bulbs
typically grow entirely aboveground – so plant
them with the bulbs resting above the soil.
These bulbs multiply quickly:
plants produce profuse offsets,
such that a gorgeous, tightly packed cluster
of bulbs can cover the surface of the soil within
just a few years — sometimes even a few months
!
Ledebouria
are tough, durable, adaptable plants.
They like soil with good drainage
and
take very well to container culture
.
Preferring light shade or morning sun in very hot areas,
they are suitable for growing indoors as houseplants,
greenhouse plants or in frost-free rock gardens.
Ledebouria socialis copes surprisingly well with
hot summers,
growing in thick clusters that survive
drought as
vigorously as any cactus or succulent.
Preferring bright indirect light, it also
thrives in full sun as well as partial shade.
A greatly underused dry shade plant, Ledebouria
works really well as a small scale ground cover
and
planted
between rocks, along crevices or cracks in walls.
Suitable for growing indoors or out
wherever there is no danger of frost.
A hardy species, the Leopard Lily has low water requirements.
•
Drought Tolerant
•
Suitable for Xeriscaping
Very easy to grow and care for.
Looks great and does very well with minimal care.
This tough, bulletproof plant
can take a lot of punishment
and bounce right back.
———————
.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
.
For sale is a
bulb-division specimen
taken from the strong and healthy
'mother'
plants
in my collection as shown above.
You will receive a
cluster of leaves
with at least one large bulb or
bulblet cluster ready for planting.
Ledebouria evolved to abandon its roots during periods of drought
and concentrate its sustenance in the bulbs. Therefore your specimen
may or may not have significant root material, though it will have root buds
from which new roots will rapidly form and grow once it is planted.
Specimens typical of those for sale
are shown
in the two pictures
immediately above and below this text.
This is of course a living
product of nature with
natural variation.
At a guaranteed minimum
you will
receive
at least
one
large
bulb ready for planting as
shown
above - or
a
nice cluster of
several small
bulblets
as shown below
(sorry, please understand that special requests regarding bulb
count cannot be accommodated
).
You'll receive a fine naturally
formed reproductive specimen — healthy and good to grow.
They grow well.
EASY INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED
FREE SHIPPING!
Shipped bareroot — this means
without soil or pot
via US Postal Service 1st Class Mail. To prep plant
for safe travel, please allow a day or two after
purchase before it ships out.
Please check weather before ordering: freezing weather can cause damage before
arrival. Order ‘when all danger of frost is past’ as with seeds if this is a concern in
your region. We choose strong healthy plants for shipping. In case you are not
satisfied with plant condition or feel original description does not match please
message us a photo within 3 days of receipt. At our discretion depending on
circumstances we may ship you a new specimen free of charge subject to
your payment only of re-shipping postage. Although plant material returns
are not accepted please be assured we stand fully behind all we sell and
will always do our utmost best to work things out to your satisfaction.