Ornithogalum thyrsoides

Common Name: Cape Chincherinchee

Family: Asparagaceae

Country of Origin: South Africa - northern and western Cape

Description: Ornithogalum thyrsoides is a bulbous geophyte, 200 to 500 mm tall, developing large rounded bulbs that are dormant in the summer months. The plant has few (5-7) fleshy leaves that die back after flowering. Leaves range from 150 to 300 mm in length and 5 to 15 mm in width, are lance-shaped, smooth and soft-textured.³

Flower stalks are leafless and produce either a tight cluster of 30-50 flowers in a raceme or a loose corymb of few (5-20) flowers with flowers reaching almost the same height. The flowers are bowl-shaped and are supported by a large green bract about the length of pedicels in open flowers. Flowers are white or creamy-white, usually with a brown or green centre that fades with age. They appear from late spring to mid summer (October to February), are long lasting and also phototropic (bending in response to light). The capsule is spindle-shaped and thin walled, splitting longitudinally to expose black, shiny, variously shaped seeds.³

Uses: Chincherinchee is usually grown as a source of long lasting cut flowers.

USDA Zone: 7a-10b

Accession #: 199500175

Accession Date: 1995-12-14 00:00:00

Bloom Status: 🪴 Not Flowering

Location: 2109

Quantity: 2

Source: Chiltern '95

Culture: The plant does not have sufficient cold tolerance to be left in the ground through the winter. The white flowers are produced on one-foot stems in early summer. When the flowers are cut and cared for properly, they can last for months. At the end of the growing season dig the bulbs and store them as you would other tender bulbs. Chincherinchee may also be grown in pots.

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Liliopsida

Subclass: monocots

Order: Asparagales

Family: Asparagaceae

SubFamily: Scilloideae

Tribe: Ornithogaleae