Plant: Desert Lily (Hesperocallis undulata) 西麗草

The descriptions from Southwest Desert Flora summarized this plant perfectly: Hesperocallis undulata is undoubtedly one of the most dramatic, spectacular desert flowers resembling Easter lilies, in the southwestern United States. Large showy whitish trumpet shaped flowers with a thin silver green central stripe. As beautiful as it is, this plant only blooms in the spring after rainy winters. Absence wet winters this plant will only sprout one or two basal leaves!
Southwest Desert Flora 的描述完美地概括了這種植物: 西麗草無疑是美國西南部最引人注目、最壯觀的沙漠花卉之一,類似於復活節百合。大而艷麗的白色喇叭形花朵,中間有細細的銀綠色條紋。雖然它很漂亮,但這種植物只有在多雨的冬天之後才會在春天開花。沒有潮濕的冬天,這種植物只會長出一兩片基生葉!

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Photo Date: 2019.03.08 Location: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

Notes 筆記

  • Hesperocallis undulata is known as the desert lily or ajo lily. It is found in the desert areas of southwestern North America, in Northwestern Mexico, California, and Arizona. The plant grows in Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert habitats.
  • A rosette of long, narrow, blue-green leaves with undulating margins appears a month or so before the tall flowering stem which bears large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers resembling Easter lilies. Flowering season is from February to May.
  • The bulbs of the desert lily are eaten by native peoples.
  • 西麗草被稱為沙漠百合或大蒜百合(ajo lily)。分佈於北美西南部、墨西哥西北部、加州和亞利桑那州的沙漠地區。它生長在莫哈韋沙漠和索諾蘭沙漠。
  • 長而窄的藍綠色葉子組成的蓮座叢,邊緣起伏,出現在高大的花莖之前一個月左右,花莖開出大而白色的喇叭形花朵,類似於復活節百合。開花季節是從二月到五月。
  • 原住民食用沙漠百合的球莖。

References 參考資料

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