Ledebouria cooperi (Cooper's False Scilla)

Scientific Name

Ledebouria cooperi (Hook.f.) Jessop

Common Name(s)

Cooper's African Hyacinth, Cooper's False Scilla, Cooper's Ledebouria, Striped False Squill, Striped Squill, Zebra's Quill

Synonym(s)

Scilla adlamii, Scilla aggregata, Scilla barberi, Scilla cinerascens, Scilla concinna, Scilla conrathii, Scilla cooperi (basionym), Scilla exigua, Scilla fehrii, Scilla glaucescens, Scilla globosa, Scilla inandensis, Scilla leichtlinii, Scilla londonensis, Scilla palustris, Scilla rehmannii, Scilla rogersii, Scilla saturata, Scilla sphaerocephala, Scilla subglauca, Scilla tristachya

Scientific Classification

Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Scilloideae
Tribe: Hyacintheae
Subtribe: Massoniinae
Genus: Ledebouria

Description

Ledebouria cooperi is an attractive bulbous plant with narrow olive-green leaves marked with purple spots, stripes, a combination of both, or often completely unmarked. The leaves grow up to 10 inches (25 cm) long. Flowers are bright pink, star-shaped, and appear in spring or early summer clustered along the main flower stalk.

Ledebouria cooperi (Cooper's False Scilla) — *Photo via plantopedia.de*

Hardiness

USDA hardiness zones 9a to 10b: from 20 °F (−6.7 °C) to 40 °F (+4.4 °C).

How to Grow and Care

Silver Squill is often cultivated as a houseplant and grows well with minimal care. However, it requires bright light with 3 to 4 hours a day of direct sunlight.

During the active growth period, interior temperatures are fine for Silver Squill's grown as houseplants. Outdoor plants can withstand winter temperatures down to 30 °F (-1 °C). Try growing Silver Squill outdoors during spring and summer when ambient temperatures are at least 60 °F (15 °C). In cold regions, move the plant back indoors.

Use a soil-based potting mixture and plant Silver Squill bulbs in pans or half-pots. Pot up the bulbs in the spring, but no more than three bulbs in a single 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) pot. Space the bulbs evenly over the surface and bury only the bottom half of each bulb in the potting mixture. During the first 4 or 6 weeks, do not feed the plants and water sparingly, allowing the top half of the potting mixture to dry out between waterings. When the new roots should be well established, treat the plants in the normal way. Break up overcrowded clumps every 2 or 3 years.

Learn more at How to Grow and Care for a Silver Squill.

Origin

This species is native to South Africa.