Plant Calculator

Enter the approximate length and width of the area you will be planting and click 'Calculate' to determine how many Tricyrtis formosana 'Samurai' you will need.

Approx. Length (ft):
Approx. Width (ft):

Correct and successful spacing is complex and depends on project conditions. We encourage you to call us at 877-ECO-PLUG for project specific recommendations and further assistance.

Tricyrtis formosana 'Samurai'

toadlily

  • Category: Perennial
  • Hardiness Zone: 5-8
  • Height: 12-18 Inches
  • Spread: 12-18 Inches
  • Spacing: 12-18 Inches
  • Bloom Color: Violet
Login for pricing

One of the few varieties of Tricyrtis with variegated leaves that is a good, tough garden plant with clean foliage! Green leaves with creamy, almost gold edges are topped in fall with lily-like flowers of purple with dark purple spotting with yellow throats. Best admired from close by, it is lovely planted near a patio or sitting area mixed with other shade perennials.

Exposure
Part Sun
Full Shade
Soil Moisture Needs
Average
Green Infrastructure
Woodland
Plug Type
Horticultural Plug
Attributes
Cut Flower
Groundcover
Ornamental Foliage
Season of Interest (Flowering)
Fall
Propagation Type
Vegetative
Additional Information about Tricyrtis formosana 'Samurai'

Its style (as in a plant's sexual parts) looks like a giraffe's neck, its anthers look like the eyes on a slug, its stamens arch like showerheads, and its six differently shaded petals (actually tepals) alternate like men and women at a dinner table. This whole surrealistic fantasy stands on three pairs of green rubber boots (swollen spurs that are part of the petals), which, kicked three times, reveal the source of the plant's Latin name: tri, meaning three, and kyrtos, meaning humped. Ketzel Levine

Common name either from spotted flowers resembling toads, or to use in Phillipines by native tribes to run on hands as a frog attractant before collecting frogs; genus name from Greek words for three and convex, referring to shape of 3 outer tepals. Perry's Perennial Pages

Growing & Maintenance Tips for Tricyrtis formosana 'Samurai'

Grow in part shade in well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Water well on planting and regularly until established. Cut back to refresh foliage.

Recommmended Substitutions for Tricyrtis formosana 'Samurai'