Desert-Candle – Eremurus X isabellinus (E. X shelfordi)

Common Name: Foxtail Lily, Desert-Candle

Botanical Name: Eremurus X isabellinus (E. X shelfordi), air-uh-MU-rus iz-a-bel-EYE-nus

Decorative Life: 10-18 days.

Flower Color: Brown, Orange, Pink, White, Yellow

Availability: Spring, Summer

For early forcing, a minimum of 16 weeks is required at 35-42F to promote sprouting, elongation and flowering.

• The “x” in the name means that it is a hybrid, in this case resulting from the cross of E. stenophyllus (short with yellow flowers) and E. olgae (medium height, white flowers).
• Eremurus probably from the Greek meaning solitary spike flower.
• With over 3000 species, the lily family includes many medicinal and food species in addition to ornamentals.
• Harvest when about 50% of the florets are open.

Philosoph-Hadas et al. (1995) showed that chemicals added to postharvest uptake solutions that can control calcium levels can inhibit or greatly reduce stem bending when they are laid horizontally due to geotropism. However, at the time of this writing such a product is not yet commercially available. Using Shelford hybrids, Kamenetsky and Rabinowitch (1999) determined that the stage of floral development at the time of lifting and subsequent long term storage conditions play very important roles in later forcing and flowering.