Arthropodium minus
| Arthropodium minus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Arthropodium minus (common name: small vanilla lily)
Propagation: Seed - sow late winter in a cold greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for at least their first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring.
Cultivation: Prefers a well-drained sandy peaty loam in a warm, sheltered sunny position[1].
Succeeds in areas where temperatures seldom fall much below freezing so long as it is given a sunny sheltered position and a well-drained soil[1]. Plants are hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[2], though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and colder longer and wetter winters.
The plant has a strong scent of vanilla, this is especially noticeable on warm days[2].
Range: Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat: Found in a variety of habitats from the coast to alpine areas. Eucalyptus forests, woodlands and sub-alpine meadows, favouring drier habitats than A. milleflorum[3].
Edibility: Root - cooked. Rather watery with a slightly sweet or bitter flavour[3]. Plants produce about 4 - 5 tubers, each of which are up to 3cm long[3].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wrigley, John and Murray Fagg. Australian Native Plants. Collins, 1988.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Low, Tim. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson, 1989.