Overall plant
Common Name: rienga lily
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asparagaceae
Native Range: New Zealand
Zone: 8 to 11
Height: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: May to July
Bloom Description: White to pink blushed with yellow, white, and purple tricolor stamens
Sun: Part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Ground Cover
Flower: Showy
Tolerate: Dry Soil
Culture
Best grown in evenly moist to dry, well-draining soil in part sun. Tolerant of a wide range of sun conditions, from full sun to full shade. Tolerant of salt spray. Cut back foliage after flowering to promote a flush of new growth. Propagate through division. Hardy in USDA Zones 8b(15°F) to 11. Frost will cause top-growth to die back, but plants will recover and leaf out in spring. Use mulch or compost to insulate root zone if planted in the cold end of its hardiness range.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Arthropodium cirrhatum, commonly known as renga lily or New Zealand rock lily, is a herbaceous perennial endemic to rocky slopes and woodland margins in the coastal regions of New Zealand. Mature plants can reach 2-3' tall with a similar spread. The glossy, arching, strap-like foliage can reach 1-2' long and 1.5-2.5" wide and emerges from a thickened, fibrous rootstock in tufted clumps. Loose, branched panicles of pendent, white to pink-blushed flowers are held atop 1-2' tall scapes from late spring into summer. The flower stamens are showy, with woolly white and purple filaments adorned with curved, yellow spurs. May be sold under the scientific name A. cirratum.
The genus name Arthropodium means "jointed foot" in reference to the jointed pedicels (individual flower stems).
The specific epithet cirrhatum means "having tendrils or appendages", in reference to the showy stamens of this species.
Problems
Snails and slugs can be problematic.
Uses
Mass or specimen for mixed borders, rock gardens, seaside gardens, cottage gardens, underplantings, and path borders. The rhizomes of this plant were used by the Maori people as both a food and medicine.