Description
(Only known from one single rocky limestone slope right next to the main road from Chengdu to Ma’erkang in N Sichuan, China; where a very nice old grandma raises her goats, and where the local government has promoted reforestation by planting pines…)
Starting with the basics: This is a very “polite” lily, with rather small, greyish white flowers on some 30cm tall stems. Native to dry limestone hills (or, one hill!) on the Sichuan-Tibetan plateau at 3250m altitude, it’s only known from it’s type location – where it’s seriously threatened by human activity.
We collected seeds of it only twice (2015 and 2016) and we’re very relieved that it seems both easy and quick – and that it’s now fully established in cultivation. Since then certain so-called/former “nurseries” have started offering bulbs, and they are for sure dug from the wild, further threatening the species. Be aware that ordering this specific species from any seller inside China is contributing to it going extinct in the wild – no matter what CITES certification they may provide…
12+ seeds per package. Collected 2025.
Images © Henrik Zebrowski
