Perennial herb with a bulb flowering stem 20 cm - 0.6 m tall Leaves: basal, deep green, 30 cm - 0.5 m long, 0.5 - 2 cm wide, linear to strap-shaped (ligulate) with a rounded tip. Inflorescence: an upright umbel of two to eight flowers raised on a two-winged, hollow stalk and subtended by a fused, lance-shaped bract. Flowers: on long, drooping stalks, white, edged with green, 1 - 2 cm long, about 1 cm wide, bell-shaped, with six tepals. Stamens six. Fruit: a dehiscent capsule. Seeds black.
Similar species: No information at this time.
Habitat and ecology: Introduced from Europe. A commonly planted but rare escape. The Porter County specimen was collected from a large colony growing in a wet stream course valley. The soil there is wet, sandy, and mucky.
Occurence in the Chicago region: non-native
Etymology: Leucojum comes from the Greek words leucos, meaning white, and ion, meaning violet (the flower). Aestivum means "of summer."
Scape 2-4 dm; lvs 3-4 dm, ca 1 cm wide, obtuse; bract foliaceous, 3-5 cm; fls 2-8, on long drooping peduncles; perianth campanulate, ca 2 cm, the tep white, edged with green; 2n=22, 24. Native of Europe, locally established in our range as an escape from cult.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.