Plant DetailShow Menu

Wild Hyacinth Lachenalia glaucina

Other 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

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:
Tags:
#bulb#fragrant flowers#easy to grow#colorful#potted#non-toxic for horses#non-toxic for dogs#non-toxic for cats#fall blooms
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#bulb#fragrant flowers#easy to grow#colorful#potted#non-toxic for horses#non-toxic for dogs#non-toxic for cats#fall blooms
  • 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.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Bulb
    Perennial
    Habit/Form:
    Ascending
    Clumping
    Erect
    Growth Rate:
    Medium
    Maintenance:
    Medium
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Container
    Small Space
    Landscape Theme:
    Cutting Garden
    Design Feature:
    Accent
    Specimen