Nomocharis is a genus in the Liliaceae family from China, Tibet and Burma. Like Lilium they have scaly bulbs and leafy stems. Coming from areas with cold dry winters and summer rainfall, they bloom in summer. The flowers are very beautiful.
Nomocharis aperta is a species from China with pink to rosy purple flowers and variable degrees of dark spotting and a dark blotch on the base of the tepals. Although we are not totally sure of the identification, it seems likely that this is the species that we saw blooming in Harry Hay's gardens in May. Photos by Bob Rutemoeller.
Here is a photograph of this species growing in the wild in China. To my mind, it really is one of the most beautiful of all bulbs that can be found there or elsewhere. Photographed by David Victor on the Gaoligongshan, near Pianma, Yunnan at 3000m - this is on the western side of Yunnan, near to the Burmese border and just east of the Salween River.
Major reference works on Nomocharis include:
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