Brodiaea coronaria
| Brodiaea coronaria | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 0.3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Brodiaea coronaria (common name: californian hyacinth)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. The seed can also be sown in spring in a cold frame[2]. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 15°c[2]. Sow the seed thinly so that it will not require thinning and grow the seedlings on undisturbed in the pot for their first year. Pot up the small bulbs when they are dormant in early autumn and grow them on for at least another year before planting them out when dormant in the autumn. Seedlings are prone to damping off, they should be watered with care and given plenty of ventilation[2].
Division in autumn[3]. Dig up the clumps of corms when they are dormant, divide them and replant the larger corms into their permanent positions. It is best to pot up the smaller corms and grow them on for a year in a cold frame, planting them out in late summer or the autumn.
Cultivation: Prefers a rich sandy loam and a well-drained soil in a sheltered position[4][3]. Succeeds in most soils and situations[5]. Likes plenty of moisture whilst in growth, followed by a warm dry period in late summer to autumn[1].
Plants may require protection in severe winters[4], they are susceptible to rot in wet winters[1]. They die down in the summer after flowering[3].
A very ornamental plant[6], it can flower in 2 years from seed[2].
Range: Western N. America.
Habitat: Gravelly prairies, grassy slopes and rocky buffs[7].
Edibility: Corm - raw or cooked[8][9][10]. Baked or boiled and eaten like potatoes[11]. When slowly roasted, it becomes very sweet[12].
Edible fruit[6]. This report is rather dubious and possibly refers to the seedpod since the seed is encased in a small dry capsule[K].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: B. grandiflora. Sm. B. rosea. Hookera coronaria. Triteleia grandiflora.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 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 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.