''Sternbergia lutea'', the winter daffodil, autumn daffodil, fall daffodil, lily-of-the-field, or yellow autumn crocus, is a bulbous

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, in the

Narcisseae Narcisseae is a small tribe of plants belonging to the subfamily Amaryllidoideae of the Amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae), where it forms part of the Eurasian clade, and is one of three tribes in the European (Mediterranean) clade. It contain ...

tribe, which is used as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

. It has yellow flowers which appear in autumn. The Latin specific epithet ''lutea'' means "yellow".

Description

''Sternbergia lutea'' has a wide distribution from the Balearic Islands in the Western Mediterranean through to

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

in Central Asia., search for "Sternbergia lutea" It dies down to a bulb during the summer. Leaves first appear in the autumn (September to November in its native habitats), and are glossy green, up to 12 mm wide; they remain through the winter. Deep yellow flowers appear soon after the leaves, with six

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s around 3–3.5 cm long,, p. 157–159 six yellow stamens and a style with a single stigma. Smaller forms with narrower leaves (up to 5 mm wide) and narrower tepals (3–12 mm rather than 10–20 mm) have been separated off under various names (e.g. ''S. lutea'' var. ''graeca'', ''S. sicula''). All are treated as ''S. lutea'' in the Kew World Checklist.

Cultivation

''Sternbergia lutea'' is hardy to

USDA hardiness zones A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

7–9 (−18 to −1 °C) depending on the degree of protection given. It can be grown outside in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

in well-drained soil; a warm dry period in summer is required for good flowering. Alkaline soils are recommended. Bulbs are usually planted while dormant (i.e. in late summer or early autumn), but can be lifted and divided before the leaves die down in late spring. This plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

’s Award of Garden Merit. A vigorous form with narrow leaves is grown in gardens under the name ''S. lutea'' var. ''angustifolia''.

Notes

References

External link

{{Taxonbar, from=Q733273 Amaryllidoideae Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of the Balearic Islands Flora of Sardinia Flora of Spain Flora of Southeastern Europe Flora of Central Asia Flora of Turkmenistan Flora of Tajikistan Flora of the Transcaucasus Flora of Western Asia