Cardiocrinum giganteum

A monocarpic bulb which can take 5 years to bloom (longer if seed grown) but the wait is worth it! An enormous flowering spike of long, downward-facing white, lily-shaped blooms with a claret throat and a heady scent, emerges from a rosette of glossy dark green leaves. Attractive elongated seed pods are an added bonus.  After flowering the bulb dies leaving offsets which will themselves flower in 4-5 years or nearby seedlings which will flower in 7.  Not a plant for the impatient gardener but hugely rewarding if you have a moisture retentive, semi-shaded woodland edge. A chance to establish a self-perpetuating colony of bulbs in various stages of development producing a flower spike or two every year.