Dichelostemma volubile
A twining bulb that climbs through shrubs to raise a cluster of bright pink flowers two to five feet above ground, found on rocky slopes and chaparral in the Sierra foothills and inner Coast ranges of California, best grown in deep pots with a dry summer dormancy and shade to partial sun.
Common Names
Twining Brodiaea, Twining Snakelily, Snake Lily
Summary
Twining Snakelily is native to California and a perennial herb arising from a corm with a fibrous outer coat. It has basal leaves (3–4, 30–70 cm, keeled) and tall, twining scapes (40–150 cm) bearing dense umbels of six- to thirty-pink flowers with a six-lobed perianth, blooming in spring in foothill woodland and chaparral scrub (April–June).
Cultivation requires well-drained soil and sun to partial shade; deep, infrequent watering. Propagation by seed (sow in fall, about 1/2 inch deep in a free-draining seed-starting mix; germination weeks to months) or division (early fall after foliage dies back; replant 6–8 inches apart in well-drained soil). It can be grown in containers and is well-suited for pollinator gardens; hardy in USDA zones 7a–10b.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1 ft 4 in - 4 ft 11 in
Spread
16 inches - 5 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 8-10
Sunlight Requirements
Full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil
Soil pH
Mildly acidic, neutral, and mildly alkaline soils.
Bloom Color
Pink, sometimes white
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Foliage Color
Green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
6-8 months
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees and other pollinators
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Kellogg) A.Heller
- Publication
- Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 2: 65 (1903)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Asparagaceae
- Genus
- Dichelostemma
Synonyms
Stropholirion californicum Brodiaea volubilis Dichelostemma californica Brodiaea californica Hookera volubilis Macroscapa volubilis Rupalleya volubilis