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| Category: Bulb/Tuber/Rhizome etc. |
| Family: Hyacinthaceae (~Amaryllidaceae) |
| Origin: South Africa (Africa) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Green & White |
| Bloomtime: Summer |
| Height: 1-2 feet |
| Width: 1-2 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
| May be Poisonous (More Info): Yes |
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Drimia media (Jeukbol) This unique evergreen plant has snug clumps of many subglobose 2 inch wide bulbs covered with chestnut-red scales. Each bulb holds tight clusters of vertically-inclined half-round narrow 1 foot to 18 inch long green leaves that look rigid but are quite pliable and not sharp pointed. In summer appear the racemes of well-spaced greenish-white flowers tinged purple that rise above the foliage to about 2 feet – flowers are not particularly beautiful but add interest. Plant in full sun to light shade and irrigate regularly to very little – with its water storing basal bulb this plant is quite drought tolerant in the garden and in a container. Has proven frost hardy to the low 20's° F. This unusual plant make a great small specimen in the garden and is an easy-to-care for plant in a container. This plant comes from sandy soils from the Saldanha Peninsula on the south and east to Knysa in the West Cape Province of South Africa. The name for the genus comes from the Greek: word 'drimys' which means "acrid" or "pungent" likely for the sap which is considered irritating or even toxic on many species. This genus long put in the family Hyacinthaceae now is put in the subfamily Scilloidae in the Asparagaceae family and includes Urginea by some authors. For the time being we have left it listed as in the Hyacinthaceae. The specific epithet comes from the Latin word 'medi' meaning between though we are not sure what this reference is to. The common name Jeukbol is used for many species of Drimia and is an Afrikaans word that iterally translates to 'itchy bulb' and is likely from the childhood practice of rubbing the cut stems on a playmates skin to aggravate them.
This information about Drimia media displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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