I agree, it’s a totally cool plant, another of those native plants which is all but unknown but which has qualities which, one would think, would get it into many gardens. The problem with it, in my experience, is that it is very slow growing. Seed ripens in late August or early September in this latitude, and seed germinates easily. But then the wait begins: it’s no faster than its relatives Veratrum and Melanthium, and like those plants is not difficult – just agonizingly slow. In the wild I’ve seen it growing in both the deep shade of woodland and in open sunny fields. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7, where I'm still digging, sorting and storing bulbs. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/