Blackberry Lily - Belamcanda chinensis
Hmmm….I wonder where the perennial blackberry lily gets its name. Perhaps blackberry lily blooms at the same time that blackberries set fruit (which does seem to be true in my neck of the woods). Sounds good, but common wisdom is that blackberry lily gets its moniker because the clusters of black seeds resemble blackberries. Anyways, the photograph at right is Blackberry Lily Yunnan Form, collected in 1998 by Paul Jones of Duke Gardens and now available to you at your friendly neighborhood nursery. Blackberry lily, also known as leopard lily, is a member of the iris family and native to East Asia (although found naturalized in North America). Hardy to Zone 4, blackberry lily grows a foot or three, and has narrow sword-like leaves that while definitely sword-like are much too floppy for actual sword-fighting.
You’ll find blackberry lily with Plant Spot app with apple-store, or growing along roads and in fields and any garden I habitate (so clap your hands, clap your hands). After flowering, don’t cut the pods from blackberry lily. The pods are fairly cool, although I’ve never really noticed the whole blackberry-lookin’ seedin’ behavior…but then again, I’m not so sharp in these matters.
If you do allow the seeds to come to maturity, blackberry lily will self-sow and spread throughout the garden, a habit I love. Each plant in its very own place is not my way. I do treasure the volunteers.
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