Eremurus


Eremurus is a genus of deciduous perennial flowers in the family Asphodelaceae. They are also known as the foxtail lilies or desert candles. They are native to eastern Europe, and temperate Asia from Turkey to China, with many species in Central Asia.
The inflorescence consists of a tall floral spike whose individual flowers extend their anthers around the stem axis as in the bottle brushes. Depending on the species, the spike consists of many densely-arranged, small flowers in shades of orange, yellow, white, pale pink or red-orange. The grey-green, straplike leaves grow in a tuft from the succulent root crown. Eremurus is known for its thick, fingerlike roots, which grow from a central growth point. The blooming spike is notably tall and relatively narrow, rising from 3 to 9 or 10 feet above the foliage, depending on the species. These plants are mainly native to western and Central Asia, although Eremurus thiodanthus is endemic to the Crimea.

Species

, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:
  • Eremurus afghanicus Gilli - AfghanistanEremurus aitchisonii Baker - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan Eremurus alaicus Khalk - KyrgyzstanEremurus albertii Regel - Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan Eremurus × albocitrinus Baker - Iran Eremurus altaicus Steven - Altai Republic, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang, Mongolia Eremurus ammophilus Vved. - Uzbekistan Eremurus anisopterus Regel - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, XinjiangEremurus azerbajdzhanicus Kharkev. - CaucasusEremurus bactrianus Wendelbo - AfghanistanEremurus brachystemon Vved. - TajikistanEremurus bucharicus Regel - Afghanistan, TajikistanEremurus candidus Vved. - TajikistanEremurus cappadocicus J.Gay ex Baker - Turkey, Iraq, SyriaEremurus chinensis O.Fedtsch. - Gansu, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan
  • †Eremurus chloranthus Popov - Uzbekistan but extinctEremurus comosus O.Fedtsch. - Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, TajikistanEremurus cristatus Vved. - Kazakhstan, KyrgyzstanEremurus czatkalicus Lazkov - KyrgyzstanEremurus × decoloratus Lazkov & Naumenko - KyrgyzstanEremurus dolichomischus Vved. & Wendelbo - Afghanistan, PakistanEremurus furseorum Wendelbo - AfghanistanEremurus fuscus Vved - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, TajikistanEremurus × gypsaceus Lazkov – KyrgyzstanEremurus hilariae Popov & Vved. - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus himalaicus Baker - Himalayas of Afghanistan + Pakistan + KashmirEremurus hissaricus Vved - Gissar Range in Tajikistan + UzbekistanEremurus iae Vved. - Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus inderiensis Regel - European Russia, Western Siberia, Central Asia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Xinjiang, Mongolia
  • Eremurus × isabellinus P. L. Vilm. - garden originEremurus jungei Juz. - CrimeaEremurus kaufmannii Regel - Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus kopet-daghensis Karrer - Turkmenistan, IranEremurus korovinii B.Fedtsch. - Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus korshinskyi O.Fedtsch - Afghanistan, TajikistanEremurus lachnostegius Vved. - TajikistanEremurus lactiflorus O.Fedtsch. - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, UzbekistanEremurus × ludmillae Levichev & Priszter - Uzbekistan Eremurus luteus Baker - Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus micranthus Vved. - TajikistanEremurus × nikitinae Lazkov – KyrgyzstanEremurus nuratavicus Khokhr. UzbekistanEremurus olgae Regel - a dwarf species flowering in June or July, making it one of the last species to flower - Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, KyrgyzstanEremurus parviflorus Regel - Pamir Mountains in TajikistanEremurus persicus Boiss. - Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, KashmirEremurus pubescens Vved. - TajikistanEremurus rechingeri Wendelbo - IraqEremurus regelii Vved. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, KazakhstanEremurus robustus Regel - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan - grows from 6 to 10 feet high.Eremurus roseolus Vved - Afghanistan, TajikistanEremurus saprjagajevii B.Fedtsch. - Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus soogdianus Benth. & Hook.f. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, AfghanistanEremurus spectabilis M.Bieb. - European Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestine region, Turkmenistan Eremurus stenophyllus Baker syn. E. bungei - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Afghanistan, PakistanEremurus subalbiflorus Vved. - Turkmenistan, IranEremurus suworowii Regel - Afghanistan, Tajikistan, UzbekistanEremurus tadshikorum Vved. - TajikistanEremurus tauricus Steven - Crimea, northern Caucasus in RussiaEremurus thiodanthus Juz. - CrimeaEremurus tianschanicus Pazij & Vved. ex Pavlov - Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, KazakhstanEremurus turkestanicus Regel - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, KazakhstanEremurus wallii Rech.f. - SyriaEremurus × warei Jekyll & E.T.Cook – IranEremurus zangezuricus Mikheev - southern CaucasusEremurus zenaidae Vved. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, KyrgyzstanEremurus zoae Vved. - Kyrgyzstan

Cultivation

Eremurus is hardy to USDA Zones 5–7. Usually four species are available commercially for cultivation:
  • E. himalaicus grows to about with pure white racemes
  • E. robustus can reach in height with pink or white flower spikes
  • E. stenophyllus, a dwarf species, reaches in height with yellow flowers.
Also E. × isabellinus which is a hybrid of E. olgae and E. stenophyllus is available as 'Cleopatra', with orange spikes.
The cultivar 'Joanna' has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
The octopus-like tuberous roots are easily injured; planting on a cone of soil, with the crown on the peak and the roots hanging down, is recommended. Plants are readily affected by winter root rot, so that a layer of sand or gravel beneath is recommended to ensure drainage. Covering with compost or mulch provides protection from frost.