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| Category: Perennial |
| Family: Amaryllidaceae (Onions) |
| Origin: South America |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: White |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Fall |
| Height: 3-4 feet |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Sun or Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 0-10° F |
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Alstroemeria 'Casablanca' (White Peruvian Lily) - Vigorous evergreen perennial that makes thick clumps of tuberous rhizomes with sturdy stems rising to 36 to 42 inches tall that bear large trumpet shaped flowers that are white tinted lightly with yellow with maroon dashes on the face and pink in the throat. The backside of the flowers are flushed with pink with fine light green lines along tepal margins. This is the whitest of the tall orchid type cut flower Peruvian Lilies available in the trade and its flowering continues over a long period - from April well into fall in our Santa Barbara garden. Plants have a crown of slender rhizomes that attach to the succulent tuberous storage roots below and from the eye on these rhizomes new unbranched shoots arise to produce narrow leaves along the stem and an umbel of flowers at the tip. Plant in full sun to light shade in a well draining soil and water regularly to occasionally in late spring and early summer. Tolerates fairly dry conditions in coastal gardens but vigor and flowering is best when plants are irrigated. Considered hardy to 0-10° F, but tolerating lower temperatures if mulched, so rated by some as useful in USDA Zones 6b and above. When trimming or cutting Alstroemeria for flowers it is best to pull the stems out so they break off below ground at the crown to stimulate the formation of new shoots, but do so carefully so not to pull out pieces of the rhizome itself. The genus Alstroemeria (at times spelled Alstremeria) was named by Carl Linnaeus, often called the Father of Taxonomy, for his friend and student Klaus von Alstroemer (Clas Alströmer), a Swedish baron. Alstroemeria come from two areas within South America with summer growing species restricted to eastern Brazil and winter-growing plants from central Chile with common names such as Peruvian Lily, Parrot Lily, or Lily of the Incas. This plant was long grown only as a cut flower before becoming available in the nursery trade and it has since become a favorite for its reliably vigorous growth, tall sturdy stems bearing long blooming nearly pure white flowers that are attractive in the garden and in the vase.
Information displayed on this page about Alstroemeria 'Casablanca' is based on the research conducted about it in our library and from reliable online resources. We also note those observations we have made of this plant as it grows in the nursery's garden and in other gardens, as well how crops have performed in our nursery field. We will incorporate comments we receive from others, and welcome to hear from anyone who may have additional information, particularly if they share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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