Bomarea salsilla
| Bomarea salsilla | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 7' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Bomarea salsilla
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse, it will germinate in a few weeks[1]. Stratify stored seed for 3 weeks at 20°c, then 3 weeks at 5°c[2]. It usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20°c[2]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer.
Division in spring, with care since the roots are brittle. Each portion must have some roots and a growth bud[1]. Pot up the divisions, grow them on in the greenhouse until they are well established and then plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer or late spring of the following year.
Cultivation: Requires a warm sunny position and a well-drained slightly acid soil[1][3].
Plants are possibly hardy in the milder areas of Britain[1]. They tolerate temperatures down to about 0°cc, but the roots will survive lower temperatures if they are given a good thick organic mulch over the winter[3][4]. Plants prefer a minimum night temperature of 10°c[2]. Keep the plants almost dry in winter[2]. The mulch should be removed as growth commences in the spring because the young shoots are very susceptible to slug damage[K].
This genus is closely related to Alstroemeria species[3].
Range: S. America - Chile.
Habitat: Woods and thickets in mountains, by the coast in C. Chile, favouring humid areas[5].
Edibility: Tuber - cooked[6][7][8][9]. Starchy[10].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2. Pan Books, London, 1998.
- ↑ Reiche, Karl. Flora de Chile.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.