About Eucrosia bicolor Ker Gawl.
Eucrosia bicolor Ker Gawl. is a plant species native to Ecuador and Peru. It naturally grows in seasonally dry lowland habitats. It was the first Eucrosia species to be scientifically described, in 1817, and also the first to be introduced into cultivation in Europe, flowering outside its native range for the first time that same year. It remains the most widely grown species of Eucrosia. This species grows from bulbs that can reach up to 4.5 cm in diameter. Its slightly glaucous leaves, which usually emerge by flowering time, have short petioles, with leaf blades measuring around 20 cm long and 10 cm wide. The flowers are arranged in umbels, borne on a scape (flower stem) up to 60 cm tall, and are pale red in color. The flowers have stamens with prominent long filaments. Stamen color differs between the two recognized varieties: stamens are yellow in the Ecuadorian var. bicolor, and red in the Peruvian var. plowmanii. When cultivated in Europe, plants should be kept dry at 10 °C or warmer after leaves wither, and watered again when new flowers and leaves begin to emerge in spring. During this growing period, plants should be kept in a sunny position.
