8,743
edits
Changes
no edit summary
{{SPlantbox
|Min ht metric=cm
|Temp Metric=°F
|image=Upload.png
|image_width=240
}}
{{Inc|
Xerophyllum (Greek, dry leaf). Liliaceae. Turkey's Beard. Tall subaquatic hardy perennial herbs not extensively in cultivation.
Rhizome short, thick and woody: sts. erect, tall, simple: lvs. radical or grouped at base of st., long-linear, rather stiff, margin scabrous; cauline lvs. sparse, much smaller: fls. white, numerous, in a terminal raceme; perianth withering, persistent, segms. distinct, oblong or lanceolate; stamens 6; ovary sessile, 3-grooved, obtuse, 3-celled: caps. subglobose, or short-oblong, 3-grooved, loculicidally dehiscent.—Three species, N. Amer. Watson, in Proc. Am. Acad. 14:284.
The turkey's beard of the eastern states (X. asphodeloides) is a strong herb, 3 to 4 feet high, resembling asphodel. It has a dense tuft of numerous long, wiry leaves from the center of which springs a stately shaft sometimes 5 feet high, with an oval or oblong raceme 6 inches long, crowded with yellowish white 6-parted flowers, each 1/4 inch across. It blooms from May to July, flowers with delicate fragrance lasting a long time. The species is a native of the dry pine barrens from southern New Jersey to eastern Tennessee and Georgia. The chief species of the Pacific coast, X. tenax, has white and violet flowers, the latter color supplied by the stamens. Each region should cultivate its own species. The forms are too much alike for the same garden. A third species, X. Douglasii, Wats., is a rare plant ranging from Montana to Oregon. It is distinguished by its six-valved capsule and is said to be inferior as a garden plant to the other species.
}}
{{Taxobox
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| color = lightgreen