Bloomeria crocea
| Bloomeria crocea | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 0.3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Bloomeria crocea (common name: golden stars)
Propagation: Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe or February/March in a well-drained compost in the greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 15°c[1]. Sow the seed thinly so that it can be grown on in the pot without disturbance for the first year, but apply an occasional liquid feed to ensure the plants do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when they are dormant, putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot, and grow them on in a cold frame for another 2 years[1] before planting them out in the autumn when they are dormant.
Division of flowering size offsets in the autumn. They are freely produced[2]. The larger bulbs can be planted straight out into their permanent positions if required, whilst it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on for a year in a cold frame before planting them out in the autumn.
Cultivation: Requires a well-drained rich sandy loam and a warm position[3][4]. Likes plenty of moisture when in growth[2], but plants should be kept quite dry from when the foliage dies down until the autumn[4].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[2].
This genus is closely related to Brodiaea and Nothoscordum species[3][2].
Range: South-western N. America - California.
Habitat: Dry flats and hillsides, often in heavy soils, to 1500 metres[5].
Edibility: Bulb[6]. It can be eaten raw at any time of the year[7].
Usage: The bulbs can be rubbed on metate into an adhesive and spread on seed gathering baskets to close the interstices[7]. No explanation is given of what metate is. There is a bamboo plant with this common name, but it is not native to America.
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Nothoscordum aureum.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.