Pancratium maritimum
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| Pancratium maritimum | ||||||||||||||
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| Pancratium maritimum L. |
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P. angustifolium M. Roem. 1847 Syn. Ensat. 178. |
Pancratium maritimum, or sea daffodil, is a species of Amaryllidaceae native to the Mediterranean region and south-western Europe. That plant can also be seen on the south Bulgarian coast of Black Sea where is threatened with extinction. It grows on coastal sands or just above the high tide mark. Other vernacular names are Sand Daffodil and Sand Lily. The Latin maritimum means "on the sea-coast".
P. maritimum is a bulbous perennial with a long neck and glaucous, broadly linear leaves, evergreen, but the leaves often die back during hot summers. Scape to 40 cm. Flowers 3-15 in an umbel, to 15 cm long, white. Corona two-thirds as long as the tepals. The flowers have an exotic lily scent. Flowering in August to October.
Easy to grown but requires a very sunny position and a very well drained, sandy soil. Need hot summers to induce flowering and is often a shy bloomer in cooler climates. Hardy to USDA zone 8. Tolerates temperatures down to about -5°C. Propagation by seeds or division after flowering. Seedlings may flower in their third or fouth year.
The Hebrew name for the flower is חבצלת החוף, closely related to the rose of Sharon (חבצלת השרון) mentioned in the Song of Solomon. It is commonly assumed by most people in Israel that, the Sharon plain being on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the Biblical passage refers to this flower.
