lant in light shade or part sun but will also grow in full coastal sun. Irrigate occasionally to regularly but will be more robust and flower better with regular water and is moderately hardy to frost, tolerating temperatures to at least to 10 to 15 F. Occasionally throws variegated leaves that should be removed to enhance the clean look of the white flowers against the dark green leaves, which really makes this plant attractive. It is a great tufting evergreen plant that grows in similar conditions as the larger Clivia.

Ophiopogon jaburan is native as an understory in forests from southern Korea, including its largest island Jeju-do and in west, central and southern Japan south to the Ryukyu Islands. It was described in 1830 by the physician and scientist Phillip Franz von Siebold as Slateria jaburan using for the specific epithet the name the plant was called in Japan. In 1932 George Loddiges, in 1832 assigned this species to the genus Ophiopogon. The name for the genus described by John Bellenden Ker Gawler in 1807 comes from the Greek words 'ophis' meaning a "snake" and 'pogon' meaning a "beard", "hair" or "tuft" originating from the Japanese name riuno fige meaning "snake's beard" that was a name used for Ophiopogon japonicus, the type species of the genus. The Japanese name for Ophiopogon jaburan is Noshi-ran. That this plant has long been in cultivation is documented in an article titled "The Lilyturfs In Gardens" in the 1963 issue of American Horticulture (V.42 N. 1) that notes that the plants had at that time been offered for sale for 40 years or more. This article also notes that a variegated cultivar of the species was also long available. This plant is growing in large areas in an oak understory at the Huntington Botanic Gardens where it often has a few variegated leaves.

We have one plant in our garden that was given to us by Huntington staff but the seed for our crops was given to us by John Greenlee in 2014. The resulting plants were grown out and over 7 years we continually selected for those that lacked any variegation. In 2021 we finally have this attractive plant out in the nursery to sell. For many years the plant sold as Aztec grass was labeled as a variegated Ophiopogon jaburan clone, but was later determined to be Ophiopogon intermedius. Plants also sold as Ophiopogon jaburan that originated from a nursery in Georgia turned out to be Liriope gigantea 'Evergreen Giant' and the name Liriope gigantea is sometimes still used incorrectly in the California nursery trade as synonymous with Ophiopogon jaburan. 

The information about Ophiopogon jaburan displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include 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 we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.