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Tricyrtis formosana 'Samurai' (toadlily)

Tricyrtis formosana 'Samurai'

toadlily

One of the few varieties of Tricyrtis with variegated leaves that is a good, tough garden plant with clean foliage! Green leaves with creamy, almost gold edges are topped in fall with lily-like flowers of purple with dark purple spotting with yellow throats. Best admired from close by, it is lovely planted near a patio or sitting area mixed with other shade perennials.

SIZE
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Height

12-18 Inches

Spread

12-18 Inches

Spacing

12-18 Inches

Bloom Color

Violet

USDA Hardiness Zone 5-8

toadlily Interesting Notes

Its style (as in a plant's sexual parts) looks like a giraffe's neck, its anthers look like the eyes on a slug, its stamens arch like showerheads, and its six differently shaded petals (actually tepals) alternate like men and women at a dinner table. This whole surrealistic fantasy stands on three pairs of green rubber boots (swollen spurs that are part of the petals), which, kicked three times, reveal the source of the plant's Latin name: tri, meaning three, and kyrtos, meaning humped. Ketzel Levine

Common name either from spotted flowers resembling toads, or to use in Phillipines by native tribes to run on hands as a frog attractant before collecting frogs; genus name from Greek words for three and convex, referring to shape of 3 outer tepals. Perry's Perennial Pages

Tricyrtis formosana 'Samurai' Growing and Maintenance Tips

Grow in part shade in well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Water well on planting and regularly until established. Cut back to refresh foliage.

Good Substitutions

toadlily Tricyrtis 'Sinonome'
toadlily Tricyrtis formosana 'Gilt Edge'

Key Characteristics & Attributes

Full Shade
Full Shade
Part Sun
Part Sun
Cut Flower
Cut Flower
Groundcover
Groundcover

Additional Information

Soil Moisture Needs
Average
Green Infrastructure
Woodland
Plug Type
Horticultural Plug
Attributes
Ornamental Foliage
Season of Interest (Flowering)
Fall
Propagation Type
Vegetative