Soap Plant

Overview

The Soap Plant, Chlorogalum pomeridianum, native to California, offers slender, grass-like leaves up to 3 feet long. In summer, it produces a striking 3-4 foot stalk with small, white, lily-like flowers that open in the afternoon. Adapted to dry climates, it thrives in full sun to partial shade in well-drained soils. Drought-tolerant and deer-resistant, its bulbs were historically used by indigenous people as soap.