Bulbinella hookeri
| Bulbinella hookeri | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Bulbinella hookeri (common name: maori onion)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Sow stored seed in a greenhouse as early in the year as possible. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 13°c[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first two winters, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in the spring. Best done as the plants come into growth. Pot the divisions up and grow them on in a cold frame until they are established then plant them out in the summer.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant so long as it is in a moist peaty neutral or slightly acidic soil[2][3][4], but it also succeeds on dry hillsides[2][3]. Shade tolerant[5].
Plants only succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of Britain, they are hardy to about -5°c[6], tolerating light short-lived frosts[3]. A plant is growing in the rock garden at Cambridge Botanical Gardens. It is in an open position but does not receive a lot of direct sunlight[K].
This species is becoming much more common in the wild because it is not eaten by grazing animals nor is it killed by burning[6].
Range: New Zealand.
Habitat: Northern slopes and damp places from lowland to sub-alpine pastures on North and South Islands south to latitude 42° south[7].
Edibility: Root - fleshy[8][6]. No further details are given.
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Anthericum hookeri.
Links
References
- ↑ Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Allan, Harry. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer Publications, 1961.
- ↑ Crowe, Andrew. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton, 1990.