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Liliaceae
Queen Cup
Clintonia uniflora
Quiet elegance in hidden places.
- Family
- Liliaceae
- Genus
- Clintonia
- Native to
- western North America
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- rhizomatous perennial
- Height
- 8–15 cm
- Sunlight
- full shade to part shade
- Soil
- moist, acidic, humus-rich
- Water
- medium to high
- Hardiness
- 4–7
- Lifespan
- long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Each plant produces just one solitary flower — 'uniflora' literally means 'one flower'.
- The metallic-blue berries that follow the bloom are striking but mildly toxic to humans.
- It spreads primarily through underground rhizomes, forming lush carpets on the forest floor.
- The genus is named after DeWitt Clinton, a 19th-century New York governor and naturalist.
- Grouse and other forest birds eat the blue berries and help disperse the seeds.
Color meanings
White
woodland solitude and understated beauty