Asphodelus aestivus
| Asphodelus aestivus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Asphodelus aestivus
Propagation: Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 3 months at 15°c[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. When the plants are large enough to handle, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Division in early spring or autumn[2].
Cultivation: Succeeds in ordinary garden soil, tolerating partial shade[3]. Requires a well-drained soil[4][3]. Prefers a deep rich sandy loamy soil[4][2]. Prefers a sunny position and a soil that is not too rich[3]. Grows well on hot dry banks[5].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[3].
Plants are evergreen in mild winters[3].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[6].
This species is closely related to A. ramosus[7].
Range: S. Europe. N. Africa. W. Asia.
Habitat: Rocky places, hills, dry places[8] and on poor uncultivated ground[5].
Edibility: Tuber - cooked[9]. Rich in starch[8][10]. Dried and boiled in water it yields a mucilaginous matter which can be mixed with grain to make a nutritious bread[9][11]. Boiling destroys the acrid principle in the tubers[9], rendering them quite pleasant to eat[K].
Flowering stalk - cooked[8][12].
Medicinal: The root, gathered at the end of its first year, is acrid, antispasmodic, diuretic, emmenagogue[9]. It was used in the treatment of several diseases by the Greeks and Romans, but is not employed in modern medicine[9].
Usage: The dried tuber is pulverized and mixed with cold water to make a strong glue[9] that is used by bookmakers and shoemakers[13][8][12].
A yellow dye is obtained from the tuber[14][13].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: A. microcarpus. A. ramosus.
Links
References
- ↑ Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press, 1987.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Niebuhr, Alta. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America, 1970.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.