Wild Hyacinth is a bulbous, perennial plant in the hyacinth family ( Lachenalia glaucina) native to the southwest Cape Provinces of South Africa. It is found in the winter-rainfall parts of South Africa and Namibia on flats or stony slopes in rocky soils. The genus is named after Werner de Lachenal, a professor of Botany in Basel, Switzerland. The species name refers to the plant's orchid-like scent. Wild Hyacinth grows from a single white fleshy bulb, 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch in diameter with fine white adventitious roots. It is very easy to grow in a pot with sandy loam soil in full sun to light shade. In summer, keep the bulbs dry and cool, stored in paper bags or in their pots. The plants should be repotted every 2 to 3 years with fresh medium. Strap-like green or speckled leaves appear in autumn, before the stalk of showy, fragrant clusters of purplish-blue flowers appear in September to November. The leaves wither in late spring to early summer. Use in pots as a house plant in areas where temperatures drop below freezing. Otherwise, use in a border of a winter garden. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: Snails, caterpillars, and mealy bugs can be a problem. A rust fungus appears as orange blotches on the leaves, often developing where a leaf has been damaged. This is treatable with common fungicides.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 9 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Clumping; Erect
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Two strap-like leaves up to 6 inches long. On some plants these leaves are covered in dark blotches, otherwise they are green. The leaves start to emerge a few weeks after the first rains in autumn and wither naturally in late spring/early summer.
Flower color
Blue; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Raceme; Spike
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Sessile, turquoise, fragrant cylindrical flowers. The outer tepals are light blue to purplish blue and the inner tepals white to shades of blue. Flowers between September and November.
Bloom time
Fall
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
The fruit are small capsules that ripen a month or two after flowering to release small shiny black seeds.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green
Stem detail
Stout stems are smooth and green but sometimes speckled.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
South Africa
Distribution
Cape Provinces
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Winter
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Small Space
Landscape theme
Cutting Garden; Winter Garden
Design feature
Border
Garden tags
#non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for horses #non-toxic for dogs #fragrant flowers #bulb #easy to grow #colorful #potted #fall color