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Chlorogalum pomeridianum (Soap Lily) - A bulbous plant that forms clumps of foliage winter into mid-summer with 1- to 2-foot-long narrow strap-like leaves rising from a basal rosette. The leaves have undulating margins and lie along the ground or rise only slightly upward. In the late spring and summer arising above the leaves appear the long open inflorescences with fragrant white flowers of 3 petals and 3 nearly identical sepals with prominent long stamens that open in the late afternoon and evening. The plant has a brief dormancy when the leaves dry up in fall and often flowering occurs after the foliage has dried up.
Plant in full sun to light shade. Requires little or no irrigation and is cold hardy below 0 F so can be planted in USDA Zone 6 and above. A great plant for a native California woodland garden.
Chlorogalum pomeridianum is found through much of California except in the higher mountains and deserts and north into Oregon on rock bluffs, grasslands, chaparral, and in open woodlands. It was formerly classified as being in the Liliaceae family, but has more recently been placed in the Hyacinthaceae family and recent DNA evidence shows it to more closely allied to the Agavaceae family. The name Chlorogalum comes from the Greek word 'chloros' meaning "green" and 'gala' meaning "milk" in reference to the green sap exuded by a broken leaf. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin phrase 'post meridiem' meaning “past mid-day” in reference to the flowers appearing late in the day. - this is the term which also gave rise to our abbreviation "P.M." for afternoon and evening. It is also commonly called Wavy-leafed Soap Plant, California Soaproot and Amoles.
Native Americans used the fibers surrounding the bulb to make small brushes and the juices of the bulb, containing saponins, were used for soap - a practice adopted by early European settlers. The bulb could also be cooked and used for glue or eaten, though only typically consumed when other foods had been exhausted. The picture on this page from the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council website. The second picture shows plant flowering while foliage dormant in mid-May along Painted Cave Road in mountains above Santa Barbara.
The information displayed on this page about Chlorogalum pomeridianum is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.
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