Speirantha gardenii (syn. convallarioides)

False Lily-of-the-Valley Asparagaceae

A particularly elegant and rather unusual Chinese woodland perennial, Speirantha gardenii is a rhizomatous evergreen forming slowly spreading clumps of glossy, lance-shaped leaves, from which short flowering stems emerge in late spring and early summer carrying compact racemes of small, fragrant, creamy-white flowers. The flowers are held above the foliage rather like a diminutive Convallaria, although the plant is considerably less familiar in cultivation. Native to southeastern China, it is a plant of temperate woodland and other cool, shaded habitats, making it an excellent choice for the quieter parts of a woodland garden. Kew currently treats S. gardenii as the sole accepted species of the genus Speirantha. 

The nomenclatural history is particularly interesting. William Jackson Hooker first described the plant in 1855 as Albuca gardenii Hook., publishing it in Botanical Magazine 81, t. 4842. John Gilbert Baker subsequently described Speirantha convallarioides Baker in 1875, establishing the genus Speirantha. In 1894, Henri Ernest Baillon transferred Hooker’s earlier epithet to Speirantha, creating the currently accepted combination Speirantha gardenii (Hook.) Baill. The older epithet gardenii therefore has priority, while S. convallarioides is now a synonym. 

The generic name Speirantha is derived from Greek, referring to its spirally arranged or twisted floral structures, while the specific epithet gardenii commemorates Alexander Garden, the Scottish physician and naturalist associated with the flora of North America. In modern classification the genus is placed in Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae/Convallarioideae depending on classification; older treatments placed it within Convallariaceae or Liliaceae. Kew currently places it in Asparagaceae. 

In cultivation Speirantha gardenii is best treated as a cool woodland plant, preferring humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil in partial to full shade. It is particularly attractive beneath deciduous trees and shrubs, where the evergreen foliage provides useful year-round structure. Allow it to establish undisturbed and the rhizomes will gradually form a handsome colony. It is an excellent plant for the collector who has already exhausted the more obvious woodland staples and is looking for something with a little more botanical intrigue.

Height: 20–40 cm
Spread: 30–60 cm
Flowering: May–June
Hardiness: H5, approximately –15 to –10°C
Growing conditions: Humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil; partial to full shade. Protect from prolonged drought and intense summer sun.
Range: Southeastern China.
Habitat: Cool temperate woodland and shaded habitats.
Habit: Rhizomatous, evergreen perennial forming gradually spreading clumps.
Flowers: Small, creamy-white, fragrant flowers carried in compact racemes above the foliage.
Nomenclature: Speirantha gardenii (Hook.) Baill., Hist. Pl. 12: 524 (1894).
Synonyms: Albuca gardenii Hook. (1855); Speirantha convallarioides Baker (1875).
Family: Asparagaceae.
Genus: Speirantha Baker, established in 1875; currently monotypic