Albuca is a fascinating African genus of bulbous plants in the asparagus family, Asparagaceae, with its native range extending across Africa and into the Arabian Peninsula. What makes the genus so compelling to growers is its sheer variety of form: some species carry neat strap-like leaves, others make dramatic curls or spirals, and many produce elegant white, cream, yellow or greenish flowers marked with darker stripes. Taken together, Albuca offers exactly the combination collectors love most – botanical character, seasonal rhythm and a remarkable ability to look both delicate and sculptural in cultivation.

Albuca canadensis syn. Albuca altissima, syn. Ornithogalum maximum, syn. Ornithogalum canadense, syn. Albuca major. Although this species has been known by many other names and has been called Albuca maxima in books published as recently as 2005, the accepted name by the Kew Checklist and confirmed by John Manning is now Albuca canadensis which is a name that used to be used for a yellow flowered species. Flowers on this South African indigenous species are white with a green stripe, nodding or drooping with somewhat succulent leaves that are rigid and deeply channeled. It is winter growing with a very short summer dormancy and flowers in late winter and spring.