Yellow Rain Lily

Yellow Rain Lily 

Yellow Rain Lily  (Zephyranthes citrine)  is a clump-forming bulbous perennial plant.. Its rush-like leaves will reach 12 inches. It has small, deep yellow flowers. Yellow rain lilly is   propagated by division of clumps of bulbs but usually by seed. Fresh seed sown soon after ripening germinate in 3 - 4 weeks. Plant height is about   8 - 12 inches high.  

 The flower is up to 2 1/2 inch in diameter, with deep yellow flowers. It does not offset much, but a large colony of them can be built up quickly because of the abundant apomictic seed production. The blooming time is rainy season July to September. Leaves are glossy deep green, 10 - 12 inches long and up to 1/5 inch wide.

 The blooming of the flowers are said to herald the onset of spring in India, however they herald the monsoon season and the end of hot summers. Hence the common name – rain lily. They bloom during the rain. 

The bright one inch lemon yellow flowers of this rain lily face upwards and flare open. The leaves are slender and light green and stand erect most of the time, when dry and in need of watering they will droop.  The propagation is supposedly by bulbs.

The yellow lily was in blood for only 2 days, after which it closed completely and started seed production. The pink lasted longer by a day. Seed production starts immediately after the flowers are dry.