Description
Autumn-flowering. Native to many parts of the Mediterranean region. The dark green, shiny leaves with a greyish midrib appear immediately before or during flowering. Wonderful golden yellow star-shaped flowers with a 3 to 5 cm diameter. Floriferous. During the summer months it requires a dry and warm place.
BELONGS TO THE FAMILY OF AMARYLLIDACEAE
This genus was named after Count Kaspar Moritz von Sternberg (1761-1831), the author of “Revisio Saxifragarum” (1810). The flowers bear a visual resemblance to those of the crocus, but there are essential differences.
The most important: Sternbergia has six stamens, the crocus three. They probably belong to the plants referred to in the Bible as 'the lilies of the field'.
For a sunny location on well-drained soil where there is sufficient warmth during the dormant period in summer.
