Is That Flower Real?

Tigridia pavonia has an unbelievable flower! I don't know if the bulbs I got were special but each flower is eight inches across. What I have read says the flowers are 4-6 inches across. These are so ridiculously huge I cannot believe it! I keep looking at my plant and asking, "Are you for real?" For me, this shade of red-orange is just the most perfect shade of red. I love red, but red-orange makes my heart skip a beat. 

Tigridia pavonia is one of at least 45 species in the Tigridia genus. The common name is Tiger Flower. Nearly all of them are native to Mexico, with some from Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru.  With their intricate markings, they remind me of our native Calochortus, which can get almost silly with their fanciness. The species has great genetic diversity and the flowers have a wide array of colors and markings. Extensive breeding has produced colors ranging from white, yellow, rose, orange, red, and pink. 

Flowers face the sky and are short-lived, lasting only one day. The night before the flower blooms the pedicel pushes the flower from the spathe. They bloom in the morning and close by the end of the day. Flowers get floppy in the late afternoon right before they close. Tigridia flowers precociously, sometimes the first year after growing from seed in warmer climates. Seed germinates easily in the spring in moist warm media. Seeds form in long pods and look a bit like small rounded brown apple seeds. If you live in sunny Southern California it is a good idea to buy bulbs from a dealer who has collected plants from warmer locations in Mexico, rather than bred in the Netherlands, for better performance in our climate. The stamen filaments of the flower are fused into a column with three large anthers full of pollen on top with a branched style with three deeply divided arms. At the base of the stigma/style are three pools of clear liquid, which I assume are nectar? Tigridia flowers are pollinated by bees, wasps, and flies. 

This bulb is in the Iridaceae family. Numerous publications mention this is a corm and not a bulb, but I also read the opposite. So far, I believe it is a bulb. Tigridia pavonia's long leaves are unusual as they are accordion-pleated or plicate. Lengthwise folds help the thin lance-shaped leaves stand up. Bulbs offset readily and with time produce more and more flowers. My plant is flowering now in the middle of June. Most descriptions of bloom time state that it is a summer or late summer bloomer. The bulb blooms through a succession of ripening buds over several weeks. It is a good idea to divide this plant every 3-4 years if blooms diminish.

Make sure this plant gets watered while it is blooming. By fall the foliage disappears and the plant is dormant until spring. This plant must have a warm position and well-draining soil. The books say it is deer and rabbit-resistant, but my rabbits consider Tigridia a favorite meal. I am using a taste repellent on my plants to keep them from munching. Gophers, too, find this bulb a tasty treat. As long as the soil is well-drained, especially while they are dormant in the winter, they are reportedly hardy to USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 7, and definitely hardy to Zone 8. There is a pure white unspotted form called Tigridia pavonia 'Alba Immaculata'. A yellow spotted form is called Tigridia pavonia 'Aurea'. Aztecs cultivated this plant as food by roasting the bulbs to reduce the calcium oxalate content. 

As long as you have a warm spot, well-drained soil and can keep these bulbs dry in the winter, you should find this plant grows really easily. The flowers are incredible!