Description
(syn. Cooperia brasiliensis, C. chlorosolen, C. drummondii, C. mexicana , Zephyranthes brasiliensis , brazosensis , herbertiana, and kansensis )
Narrow, trailing, dull green or glaucous leaves around 5 mm wide and beautiful white stemless flowers which do not open until the evening and they then put out a strong, yet delicate, scent through the night. This is classic behaviour for a moth pollinated species.
Zephyranthes chlorosolen is native to Mexico and Texas, extending northward into Oklahoma and Kansas. The plant and flower are noticeably smaller than the related Z. drummondii. (there is room for confusion with these names here. Some people regard Cooperia as a distinct genus, others say that it should be contained within Zephyranthes, but suffice to say that if you decide that Cooperia are no different from Zephyranthes, then Cooperia drummondii has to change its name. There is a small problem in doing this as the name drummondii is already in use for a perfectly valid Zephyranthes species – the parking space is taken, so Cooperia drummondii becomes Zephyranthes chlorosolen leaving Zephyranthes drummondii unaffected.
Z. chlorosolen can be distinguished from the other white species in the USA as it has a very long floral tube, much longer in fact than the spathe and longer than the filaments. The stigma is capitate (it ends in a single knob, a bit like a helmet) and it is held at the same level as the anthers. Z. chlorosolen can have different chromosome levels, so that forms are known with 2n=48, 60, 68, or 72 . These different ploidy levels are significant in the evolution of the Texan endemic species such as jonesii and refugiensis (there is more in formation under the pages for these plants).
In its native USA and Mexico it is, of course, hardy. However in the UK this is regarded as a slightly tender species though no more so than most of the Zephyranthes, only one or two of which are “totally” hardy in the UK. It is however best in a pot or planted out under frost-free glass. The latter may encourage it to make size more quickly as we find this one of the slowest growing of all of the species Rain-lilies. It is capable of making very large bulbs in time, but after 3 years, the youngsters of chlorosolen are usually only the size of an average one year old plant of many other species. Provide a fertile, loam-based compost, with good drainage, keep dry over summer with lots of sun and an abundance of water when it is growing. Feeding will build good size more quickly and promote flowering.
