Brilliant Lily Blooms
As we flip the calendar to June, the longer, hotter days that bring summer also bring another round of wildflowers to Harmony Hill. The early spring flowers have begun to fade and plants more capable of handling the sweltering heat of the lower piedmont have begun to flourish. But, before we flip the page on spring wildflowers, let’s take a moment to look at one of the earliest and most eye-catching blooms we have.
In late February, when the crimson flowers of Red Maples begin painting the bare forests, a brilliant white flower begins appearing in areas where it seemed only grass had been all winter. In areas with organic rich soils that also retain moisture, grass-like leaves of this early bloomer grow about 10”-16” tall. Throughout the much of the summer, fall and winter, these leaves are inconspicuous, and they tend to simply blend into other vegetation. However, come late February, that all changes. Flower stalks quickly grow, with impressive, crisp white flowers opening atop. The Atamasco Lily (Zephyranthes atamasca) is a showstopper and a wonderful way to whet anyone’s appetite for spring wildflowers!
A true harbinger of spring, the 3”- 4” flowers can be found as a single flower bloom or can also be found blooming in clumps of breathtaking blooms of as many as 12-24 flowers. And, as a lily, there are a few things we should already know about this flower. Let’s discuss a couple things that make lilies easy to identify…
First of all, the most obvious part of a flowering plant to look at is the flower, itself. And lily flowers are pretty AND pretty cool. Lilies seem to follow a natural rule that flower parts be found in numbers of threes and sixes.
They have six tepals, that may be form a trumpet shape, may unfurl straight out or may curl back on themselves. Tepal is a term used when petals and sepals look so much alike and serve such a similar structure that they are difficult to distinguish and, therefore, are classified as tepals. Looking at the flower of the Atamasco Lily, we can see the six tepals.
Next, following the “rule of 3s and 6s”, let’s look at the stamen (the male structure of the flower that holds the pollen rich anther). We can easily see six stamens popping from the middle of the flower. We can also see stigma, the female part of the plant that is fertilized by pollen. We notice the stamen is separating into three parts.
Furthermore, lilies have scaled bulbs and parallel veins on their leaves. Each of these characteristics allow us to identify this plant as a wonderful member of the lily family Liliaceae.
Atamasco Lily (Zephyranthes atamasca)… what’s in a name? Far more than you’d ever imagine. The genus name is a direct reference to the Greek god Zephyrus, who awoke nature with his warm and gentle west wind each spring. He was married to Chloris, a great goddess of flowers, whose dominion is given a nod in “anthes” (a female persona of flower). Recalling we gave this flower a description as a harbinger of spring, as it is one of the first to announce the impending arrival of warmth and growth, it is doubtful that any other genus name could serve such a plant nearly as well.
The species name is taken from a Native American word meaning “tinged reddish”. The Pawhatan word translates directly to “stained red”, giving lovers of this flower the understanding that the pure white seen early in spring will turn deep pink as the blooms age and wilt. In the photo of the cluster of wilting flowers, the staining of red on the flowers is clear and gives us a sense of how well this plant was named!
In most years, the timeframe for blooming is March to May. But, in good years, you can sometimes find blooms that persist until very early June. Because this flower blooms so wonderfully during late March to mid-April, one of the colloquial names for it is Easter Lily. Many southerners see these lilies as more than just a cue for spring to march in. Renewal, rejuvenation and joy are just a few of the local beliefs ascribed to the freshness of the flower and the season they herald.
Rich soils that have the ability to retain moisture are important to this plant, as are days of dappled shade punctuated by a couple of hours of direct sun. When these lilies finish their flowering period and begin going into dormancy in late summer/early fall, they are perfectly able to be transplanted to other, well-suited areas.
Finally, this plant can be found from Maryland to Florida and westward, along the gulf coast, to Mississippi. In the Carolinas, it is most commonly found in areas of the piedmont (“foot of the mountains”).
Next year, as winter’s hold begins to shake and the Red Maples are well into flowering; should you find yourself in places where Atamasco Lilies bloom, look for the brilliant glow of the pure, white flowers of this plant. Then, find yourself soaking up the beauty of this Zephyrus lily that will be stained pink later in its short blooming window.