A Page of those curious beauties, the Toad Lilies

Tricyrtis 'Empress'

Tricyrtis ‘Empress’

  • This variety has larger, showier flowers than other varieties, white with very clean distinctive spotting. The leaves of this variety are broadly green with little spotting. 80cm.

Tricyrtis formosana 'Dark Beauty'

Tricyrtis formosana ‘Dark Beauty’

  • T. ‘Dark Beauty’ is a particularly dark flowered form of the Formosan (Taiwan) Toad Lily. Flowers are upwards facing, arranged in cymes at the end of each stem rather than in each leaf axil as in some species. 75cm September to October. A stoloniferous species which will gradually spread if happy.

Tricyrtis formosana Stolonifera Group

Tricyrtis formosana Stolonifera Group

  • Tricyrtis formosana Stolonifera group. Delightful late flowering perennials with a branched head of small white lily like flowers heavily spotted with purple or mauve. Height 60cm. For humus rich soil in sun or shade. One of the shorter growing varieties, and, as the name suggests, will run underground.
Tricyrtis hirta

Tricyrtis hirta

  • Japanese Toad Lily. Japanese Toad Lily. Delightful late flowering perennials with white flowers which are heavily spotted with mauve and purple, borne in the leaf axils. Height 90cm. For humus rich soil in sun or shade. Japanese Toad Lily August to October. 60cm with arching stems with flowers arranged in each leaf axil, up to 2 dozen on some stems. Paler in flower than T. formosana

Tricyrtis hirta 'Taiwan Atrianne'

Tricyrtis hirta ‘Taiwan Atrianne’

  • The flowers on this variety are particularly heavily coloured. The spidery petals are heavily spotted in rich maroon with the spots coalescing at the tips to form a dark blotch. 1m tall

Tricyrtis 'Lightning Strike'

Tricyrtis ‘Lightning Strike’

  • Tricyrtis ‘Lightning Strike’ is attractive both for the curious flowers and the soft yellow, green striped leaves .White flowers, heavily spotted with mauve and purple are borne  from the leaf axils in late summer. Height 50cm. For humus rich soil in part sun or shade.
Tricyrtis macrantha subsp. macranthopsis

Tricyrtis macrantha subsp. macranthopsis

  • A quite distinctive species which carries the largest flowers of all the Tricyrtis. The stems are long and arching and carry pendant yellow flowers from the axils, each one spotted maroon inside.

Tricyrtis 'Pink Freckles'

Tricyrtis ‘Pink Freckles’

  • This is a variety which leans towards Tricyrtis formosana. It is earlier flowering than most with compact habit. The flowers are relatively broad in the petals with a bas colour of pink stained white, moderately spotted with burgundy. Height 60cm

Tricyrtis

Tricyrtis are all very hardy, most tolerating temperatures down to -20oC, though tolerance of prolonged low temperatures is enhanced by snow cover or an organic mulch. They all like a humus rich, moisture retentive soil in partial shade. Sun can be tolerated provided there is adequate moisture to compensate. This will confer the benefit of earlier flowering.

The common name of Toad Lily is a reference to the spotted nature of the flowers, similar to a Toad’s warty skin.

Tricyrtis – from the Greek words, ‘treis’ = three & ‘kyrtos’ = convex, a reference to the bag like nature of the base of the outer petals.