Acis autumnalis 'September Snow'

(aka: Leucojum autumnale) Acis autumnalis is a delightfully cute small bulb in the amaryllis family, related to the larger, more showy, crinum, hippeastrum, and lycoris. Years ago, it belonged to the better known genus, Leucojum, but was ruthlessly kicked out by a group of intolerant taxonomists, on account of its alternative sexual tendencies. The wire-thin 6" tall flower stalks emerge for us in late September, from a summer dormancy, topped with tiny white bells. Acis 'September Snow' flower stalks are purple toward the tips, giving a nice contrast to the white flowers. The narrow 8" tall leaves, which resemble grass seedlings, emerge just after flowering. Given good drainage, we have found the drought-tolerant Acis autumnalis to be very easy to grow in both sun and part shade. Our pots each have a mass of the tiny bulbs.