Leucocrinum montanum, the Sand Lily.....one of the collections GrayC, Scott, and Kevin made in Nebraska

This is a cool plant, the only species in the genus Leucocrinum. I hope it'll grow here; it's native to the southwest US ranging north and east to the Dakotas and Nebraska. Well, we're the US National Arboretum we're just located in Washington. We love all plants foreign and domestic, and reserve the right to claim all US natives. Not only beautiful, this is an interesting plant as well. It's a geophyte with thick fleshy roots. Sort of a xeric ephemeral, it flowers in late spring or early summer, then dies back to the ground during the heat and the drought of summer.