Eremurus

Genus of flowering plants
title: "Eremurus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["asphodelaceae-genera", "asphodeloideae"] description: "Genus of flowering plants" topic_path: "general/asphodelaceae-genera" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eremurus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of flowering plants ::
|taxon = Eremurus |image = Eremurus himalaicus2C2000.jpg |image_caption = Eremurus himalaicus |synonyms_ref= |synonyms=*Ammolirion Kar. & Kir.
- Henningia Kar. & Kir.
- Selonia Regel |type_species = Eremurus spectabilis
Eremurus is a genus of deciduous perennial flowers in the family Asphodelaceae. They are also known as the foxtail lilies or desert candles. They are native to eastern Europe (Russia and Ukraine), and temperate Asia from Turkey to China, with many species in Central Asia.
The inflorescence consists of a tall floral spike whose individual flowers extend their anthers around the stem axis as in the bottle brushes. Depending on the species, the spike consists of many densely-arranged, small flowers in shades of orange, yellow, white, pale pink or red-orange. The grey-green, straplike leaves grow in a tuft from the succulent root crown. Eremurus is known for its thick, fingerlike roots, which grow from a central growth point. The blooming spike is notably tall and relatively narrow, rising from 3 to 9 or 10 feet above the foliage, depending on the species. These plants are mainly native to western and Central Asia, although Eremurus thiodanthus is endemic to the Crimea.
Species
, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:
- Eremurus afghanicus Gilli - Afghanistan
- Eremurus aitchisonii Baker - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
- Eremurus alaicus Khalk - Kyrgyzstan
- Eremurus albertii Regel - Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
- Eremurus × albocitrinus Baker - Iran (E. olgae × E. stenophyllus)
- Eremurus altaicus (Pall.) Steven - Altai Republic, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang, Mongolia
- Eremurus ammophilus Vved. - Uzbekistan
- Eremurus anisopterus (Kar. & Kir.) Regel - Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang
- Eremurus azerbajdzhanicus Kharkev. - Caucasus
- Eremurus bactrianus Wendelbo - Afghanistan
- Eremurus brachystemon Vved. - Tajikistan
- Eremurus bucharicus Regel - Afghanistan, Tajikistan
- Eremurus candidus Vved. - Tajikistan
- Eremurus cappadocicus J.Gay ex Baker - Turkey, Iraq, Syria
- Eremurus chinensis O.Fedtsch. - Gansu, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan
- †Eremurus chloranthus Popov - Uzbekistan but extinct
- Eremurus comosus O.Fedtsch. - Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
- Eremurus cristatus Vved. - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
- Eremurus czatkalicus Lazkov - Kyrgyzstan
- Eremurus × decoloratus Lazkov & Naumenko (E. lactiflorus × E. regelii) - Kyrgyzstan
- Eremurus dolichomischus Vved. & Wendelbo - Afghanistan, Pakistan
- Eremurus furseorum Wendelbo - Afghanistan
- Eremurus fuscus (O.Fedtsch.) Vved - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan
- Eremurus × gypsaceus Lazkov (E. cristatus × E. zoae) – Kyrgyzstan
- Eremurus hilariae Popov & Vved. - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
- Eremurus himalaicus Baker - Himalayas of Afghanistan + Pakistan + Kashmir
- Eremurus hissaricus Vved - Gissar Range in Tajikistan + Uzbekistan
- Eremurus iae Vved. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
- Eremurus inderiensis (M.Bieb.) Regel - European Russia, Western Siberia, Central Asia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Xinjiang, Mongolia
- Eremurus × isabellinus P. L. Vilm. (E. stenophyllus × E. olgae) - garden origin
- Eremurus jungei Juz. - Crimea
- Eremurus kaufmannii Regel - Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
- Eremurus kopet-daghensis Karrer - Turkmenistan, Iran
- Eremurus korovinii B.Fedtsch. - Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
- Eremurus korshinskyi O.Fedtsch - Afghanistan, Tajikistan
- Eremurus lachnostegius Vved. - Tajikistan
- Eremurus lactiflorus O.Fedtsch. - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan
- Eremurus × ludmillae Levichev & Priszter - Uzbekistan (E. regelii × E. turkestanicus)
- Eremurus luteus Baker - Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
- Eremurus micranthus Vved. - Tajikistan
- Eremurus × nikitinae Lazkov (E. cristatus × E. fuscus) – Kyrgyzstan
- Eremurus nuratavicus Khokhr. Uzbekistan
- Eremurus olgae Regel - a dwarf species flowering in June or July, making it one of the last species to flower - Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan
- Eremurus parviflorus Regel - Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan
- Eremurus persicus (Jaub. & Spach) Boiss. - Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir
- Eremurus pubescens Vved. - Tajikistan
- Eremurus rechingeri Wendelbo - Iraq
- Eremurus regelii Vved. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan
- Eremurus robustus (Regel) Regel - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan - grows from 6 to 10 feet high.
- Eremurus roseolus Vved - Afghanistan, Tajikistan
- Eremurus saprjagajevii B.Fedtsch. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
- Eremurus soogdianus (Regel) Benth. & Hook.f. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan
- Eremurus spectabilis M.Bieb. - European Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestine region, Turkmenistan
- Eremurus stenophyllus (Boiss. & Buhse) Baker syn. E. bungei - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan
- Eremurus subalbiflorus Vved. - Turkmenistan, Iran
- Eremurus suworowii Regel - Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
- Eremurus tadshikorum Vved. - Tajikistan
- Eremurus tauricus Steven - Crimea, northern Caucasus in Russia
- Eremurus thiodanthus Juz. - Crimea
- Eremurus tianschanicus Pazij & Vved. ex Pavlov - Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan
- Eremurus turkestanicus Regel - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan
- Eremurus wallii Rech.f. - Syria
- Eremurus × warei Jekyll & E.T.Cook (E. olgae × E. stenophyllus) – Iran
- Eremurus zangezuricus Mikheev - southern Caucasus
- Eremurus zenaidae Vved. - Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan
- Eremurus zoae Vved. - Kyrgyzstan
Cultivation
Eremurus is hardy to USDA Zones 5–7. Usually four species are available commercially for cultivation:
- E. himalaicus grows to about 4 ft with pure white racemes
- E. robustus can reach 8-10 ft in height with pink or white flower spikes
- E. stenophyllus, a dwarf species, reaches 2-3 ft in height with yellow flowers.
Also E. × isabellinus which is a hybrid of E. olgae and E. stenophyllus is available as 'Cleopatra', with orange spikes.
The cultivar 'Joanna' has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
The octopus-like tuberous roots are easily injured; planting on a cone of soil, with the crown on the peak and the roots hanging down, is recommended. Plants are readily affected by winter root rot, so that a layer of sand or gravel beneath is recommended to ensure drainage. Covering with compost or mulch provides protection from frost.
Gallery
File:Eremurus robustus shoots in snow. Image by Schnobby, cropped & brightened.jpg|E. robustus leaf rosettes, in bud, emerging from snowy ground File:Eremurus robustus 2017-04-17 7791.jpg|E. robustus leaf rosette at time of first appearance of embryonic flower spike File:Eremurus robustus (Asphodelaceae) (44492387882).jpg|E. robustus flowering on SW slope of Fergana range, nr. Sary-Kyr pass, Kyrgyzstan File:Eremurus inderiensis 28519526.jpg|E. inderiensis developing flower spike starting to elongate, nr. Baikonur, Kazakhstan File:Eremurus alaicus (5546699412).jpg|E. alaicus * flowering on a grassy slope near Karakol, Kyrgyzstan in the Tien Shan range File:A small Mountain range in Tajikistan 2.jpg|Stand of yellow-flowered E. sp. in bloom in April in a mountain river valley, Tajikistan File:PikiWiki Israel 7032 Plants of Israel.jpg|E. sp. (probably E. spectabilis) in flower and fruit on a dry slope in Israel File:Еремурусовий схил 02.jpg|E. sp. - stand of plants in fruit, nature reserve, Luhansk Oblast Ukraine File:Շրեշտ.jpg|Young Eremurus leaf rosettes on sale as a leaf vegetable in an Armenian marketplace File:Hyles centralasiae (Sphingidae- Macroglossinae- Macroglossini) – third instar larva on Eremurus olgae (32408511714).jpg|Close-up of flower buds of E. olgae with hawk moth larva File:Satyrium (Superflua) mirabilis (Lycaenidae- Theclinae) mating on Eremurus sogdianus (Asphodelaceae) (33041236702).jpg|Satyrium mirabilis* (see Satyrium) butterflies mating on E. sogdianus File:Wave Hill - 20220616 - 28 - bumblebee pollinating foxtail lily.jpg|Bumblebee sp. pollinating flowers of E. stenophyllus var. stenophyllus in Wave Hill garden, Bronx File:Eremurus himalaicus Pustynnik himalajski 2010-06-20 02.jpg|E. himalaicus ripening 3-valved seed capsule File:Stamps of Uzbekistan, 2002-04.jpg|Uzbek postage stamp depicting E. hilariae (one of series devoted to the wildflowers of Uzbekistan) File:Stamps of Uzbekistan, 2011-08.jpg|Uzbek postage stamp depicting E. korolkowii File:HJElwes Eremurus.jpg|Plant hunter Henry John Elwes beside bed of E. aitchisonii, formerly named for him as E. elwesii / elwesianus
References
Bibliography
References
- ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607
- [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=111968 Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 159 独尾草属 du wei cao shu ''Eremurus'' Marschall von Bieberstein, Fl. Taur.-Caucas. 3: 269. 1819]
- "Botany.com: ''Eremurus''".
- "''Eremurus'' M.Bieb..".
- "''Eremurus'' 'Joanna'". RHS.
- "Mrs Greenfingers: How to Grow ''Eremurus''".
- "Love to Know Garden: ''Eremurus''".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::