Lachenalia glaucina
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Lachenalia lilacina
- Lachenalia orchioides subsp. glaucina
- Lachenalia orchioides var. glaucina
- Phonetic Spelling
- lak-en-AH-ee-uh glaw-SEE-nuh
- Description
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Wild Hyacinth is a bulbous, perennial plant in the hyacinth family with large, 7 to 8 inch, showy flowers. It is native to the southwest cape provinces of South Africa. The flowers vary in color depending on the variety L. orchioides var. orchioides and L. orchioides var. glaucina.The flowers are directly attached to the plant, with no supporting stalk, and have a sweet aroma. The blooms appear in the fall, toward the end of the flowering season and fade to a dull red brown. The genus is named after Werner de Lachenal, a professor of Botany in Basel, Switzerland. The species name refers to the plant's orchid-like scent. The variety name refers to the blue-grey flowers of that variety.
Wild Hyacinth is typically restricted to the winter-rainfall parts of South Africa and Namibia on flats or stony slopes, shady habitats in rocky soils. Wild Hyacinth grows from a single white fleshy bulb, 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch in diameter with fine white adventitious roots. It is very easy to grow in a pot, fairly well-drained, with half coarse washed sand and half finely sieved compost in the lower two-thirds of the pot. The upper third should be pure sand with no loam or compost into which the bulbs are planted. This layer is kept dry to prevent the bulbs from rotting, while the roots penetrate the richer moister organic medium below. Keep the plants in full sun. They can be grown outdoors if the temperature does not drop below freezing. In summer, keep the bulbs dry and cool, stored in paper bags or in their pots. The plants should be repotted every 2 to 3 years with fresh medium.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
Snails, caterpillars, and mealy bugs can be a problem. A rust fungus appears as orange blotches on the leaves, often developing where a leaf has been damaged. This is treatable with common fungicides.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
![A spike of blue flowers growing from the ground.](https://s3.amazonaws.com/eit-planttoolbox-prod/media/images/Lachenalia_glaucina__8AgbQwHFWcYM.jpeg)
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/eit-planttoolbox-prod/media/images/thumb_sm/Lachenalia_glaucina__7wnpPnDoGXnR.jpeg)
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Lachenalia
- Species:
- glaucina
- Family:
- Hyacinthaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Leaf Cutting
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- South Africa
- Distribution:
- Cape Provinces
- Bulb Storage:
- cool and dry in the summer for planting in fall
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 0 ft. 9 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Bulb
- Perennial
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Clumping
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit are small capsules that ripen a month or two after flowering to release small shiny black seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Blue
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Orange
- Pink
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Spike
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Petals:
- Tepals
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Sessile, turquoise, fragrant cylindrical flowers. The outer tepals are light blue to purplish blue and the inner tepals white to shades of blue. Flowers between September and November.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Two strap-like leaves up to 6 inches long. On some plants these leaves are covered in dark blotches, otherwise they are green. The leaves start to emerge a few weeks after the first rains in autumn and wither naturally in late spring/early summer.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Container
- Small Space
- Landscape Theme:
- Cutting Garden
- Design Feature:
- Accent
- Specimen