Genus of flowering plants
Eremurus [ 2] deciduous perennial flowers in the family Asphodelaceae . They are also known as the foxtail lilies or desert candles . They are native to eastern Europe in (Russia and Ukraine ), and temperate Asia from Turkey to China , with many species in Central Asia .[ 1] [ 3]
The inflorescence consists of a tall floral spike whose individual flowers extend their anthers around the stem axis as in the bottle brushes . Depending on the species, the spike consists of many densely-arranged, small flowers in shades of orange, yellow, white, pale pink or red-orange. The grey-green, straplike leaves grow in a tuft from the succulent root crown. Eremurus is known for its thick, fingerlike roots, which grow from a central growth point. The blooming spike is notably tall and relatively narrow, rising from 3 to 9 or 10 feet above the foliage, depending on the species. These plants are mainly native to western and Central Asia , although Eremurus thiodanthus is endemic to the Crimea .[ 4]
Species
As of November 2023[update] Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:[ 1]
Eremurus afghanicus Gilli - AfghanistanEremurus aitchisonii Baker - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus alaicus Khalk - KyrgyzstanEremurus albertii Regel - Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus × albocitrinus Baker - Iran (E. olgae × E. stenophyllus )Eremurus altaicus (Pall.) Steven - Altai Republic, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang, MongoliaEremurus ammophilus Vved. - UzbekistanEremurus anisopterus (Kar. & Kir.) Regel - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, XinjiangEremurus azerbajdzhanicus Kharkev. - CaucasusEremurus bactrianus Wendelbo - AfghanistanEremurus brachystemon Vved. - TajikistanEremurus bucharicus Regel - Afghanistan, TajikistanEremurus candidus Vved. - TajikistanEremurus cappadocicus J.Gay ex Baker - Turkey, Iraq, SyriaEremurus chinensis O.Fedtsch .†Eremurus chloranthus Popov - Uzbekistan but extinct
Eremurus comosus O.Fedtsch. - Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, TajikistanEremurus cristatus Vved. - Kazakhstan, KyrgyzstanEremurus czatkalicus Lazkov - KyrgyzstanEremurus × decoloratus Lazkov & Naumenko (E. lactiflorus × E. regelii ) - KyrgyzstanEremurus dolichomischus Vved. & Wendelbo - Afghanistan, PakistanEremurus furseorum Wendelbo - AfghanistanEremurus fuscus (O.Fedtsch.) Vved - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, TajikistanEremurus × gypsaceus Lazkov (E. cristatus × E. zoae ) – KyrgyzstanEremurus hilariae Popov & Vved. - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus himalaicus Baker - Himalayas of Afghanistan + Pakistan + KashmirEremurus hissaricus Vved - Gissar Range in Tajikistan + UzbekistanEremurus iae Vved. - Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus inderiensis (M.Bieb.) Regel - European Russia, Western Siberia, Central Asia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Xinjiang, MongoliaEremurus × isabellinus P. L. Vilm. (E. stenophyllus × E. olgae ) - garden originEremurus jungei Juz. - CrimeaEremurus kaufmannii Regel - Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus kopet-daghensis Karrer - Turkmenistan, IranEremurus korovinii B.Fedtsch. - Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus korshinskyi O.Fedtsch - Afghanistan, TajikistanEremurus lachnostegius Vved. - TajikistanEremurus lactiflorus O.Fedtsch. - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, UzbekistanEremurus × ludmillae Levichev & Priszter - Uzbekistan (E. regelii × E. turkestanicus )Eremurus luteus Baker - Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus micranthus Vved. - TajikistanEremurus × nikitinae Lazkov (E. cristatus × E. fuscus ) – KyrgyzstanEremurus nuratavicus Khokhr. UzbekistanEremurus olgae Regel - a dwarf species flowering in June or July, making it one of the last species to flower - Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, KyrgyzstanEremurus parviflorus Regel - Pamir Mountains in TajikistanEremurus persicus (Jaub. & Spach) Boiss. - Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, KashmirEremurus pubescens Vved. - TajikistanEremurus rechingeri Wendelbo - IraqEremurus regelii Vved. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, KazakhstanEremurus robustus (Regel) Regel - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan - grows from 6 to 10 feet high.Eremurus roseolus Vved - Afghanistan, TajikistanEremurus saprjagajevii B.Fedtsch. - Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus soogdianus (Regel) Benth. & Hook.f. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, AfghanistanEremurus spectabilis M.Bieb. - European Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestine region, TurkmenistanEremurus stenophyllus (Boiss. & Buhse) Baker syn. E. bungei - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Afghanistan, PakistanEremurus subalbiflorus Vved. - Turkmenistan, IranEremurus suworowii Regel - Afghanistan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus tadshikorum Vved. - TajikistanEremurus tauricus Steven - Crimea, northern Caucasus in RussiaEremurus thiodanthus Juz. - CrimeaEremurus tianschanicus Pazij & Vved. ex Pavlov - Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, KazakhstanEremurus turkestanicus Regel - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, KazakhstanEremurus wallii Rech.f. - SyriaEremurus × warei Jekyll & E.T.Cook (E. olgae × E. stenophyllus ) – IranEremurus zangezuricus Mikheev - southern CaucasusEremurus zenaidae Vved. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, KyrgyzstanEremurus zoae Vved. - Kyrgyzstan
Cultivation
Eremurus is hardy to USDA Zones 5–7. Usually four species are available commercially for cultivation:
E. himalaicus grows to about 4 ft (1.2 m) with pure white racemesE. robustus can reach 8–10 ft (2.4–3.0 m) in height with pink or white flower spikesE. stenophyllus , a dwarf species, reaches 2–3 ft (0.61–0.91 m) in height with yellow flowers.Also E . × isabellinus which is a hybrid of E. olgae and E. stenophyllus is available as 'Cleopatra', with orange spikes.
The cultivar 'Joanna' has won the Royal Horticultural Society 's Award of Garden Merit .[ 7]
The octopus-like tuberous roots are easily injured; planting on a cone of soil, with the crown on the peak and the roots hanging down, is recommended. Plants are readily affected by winter root rot, so that a layer of sand or gravel beneath is recommended to ensure drainage. Covering with compost or mulch provides protection from frost.[ 8] [ 9]
Gallery
E. robustus leaf rosettes, in bud, emerging from snowy ground
E. robustus leaf rosette at time of first appearance of embryonic flower spike
E. robustus flowering on SW slope of
Fergana range, nr. Sary-Kyr pass,
Kyrgyzstan
E. inderiensis developing flower spike starting to elongate, nr.
Baikonur ,
Kazakhstan
E. alaicus flowering on a grassy slope near
Karakol ,
Kyrgyzstan in the
Tien Shan range
Stand of yellow-flowered
E. sp. in bloom in April in a mountain river valley,
Tajikistan
E. sp. (probably
E. spectabilis ) in flower and fruit on a dry slope in
Israel
E. sp. - stand of plants in fruit,
nature reserve ,
Luhansk Oblast Ukraine
Young Eremurus leaf rosettes on sale as a
leaf vegetable in an
Armenian marketplace
Close-up of flower buds of
E. olgae with
hawk moth larva
Satyrium mirabilis (see
Satyrium ) butterflies mating on
E. sogdianus
Bumblebee sp. pollinating flowers of
E. stenophyllus var. stenophyllus in
Wave Hill garden,
Bronx
E. himalaicus ripening 3-valved seed capsule
Uzbek postage stamp depicting
E. hilariae (one of series devoted to the wildflowers of
Uzbekistan )
Uzbek postage stamp depictingE. korolkowii
Plant hunter Henry John Elwes beside bed of
E. aitchisonii , formerly named for him as
E. elwesii /
References
Bibliography
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Eremurus .
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_mirabilis_(Lycaenidae-_Theclinae)_mating_on_Eremurus_sogdianus_(Asphodelaceae)_(33041236702).jpg)
