Chlorogalum pomeridianum
| Chlorogalum pomeridianum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 7' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Chlorogalum pomeridianum (common name: soap lily)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or summer 2mm deep in a peat/sand mix. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 6 months at 15°c, but it can be slow and erratic. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings do not need to be thinned and grow them on in the pot for their first year of growth, giving an occasional liquid feed o ensure that they do not become mineral deficient. When dormant, pot up 3 young bulbs per pot and grow them on for at least another 2 years before planting them out into their permanent positions in the spring[1].
Division of offsets when the bulb dies down in late summer. Larger offsets can be planted out direct into their permanent positions but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on for at least a year in the greenhouse.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any reasonably good well-drained soil[2][3]. Prefers a rich well-drained moisture retentive soil[1]. Tolerates partial shade[1]. Dislikes dry soils according to one report[4] but plants grow in dry soils in the wild[5].
Plants are frost hardy but they come into new growth in the autumn and so need to be grown in a warm sheltered position, especially in colder areas of the country[6]. The bulbs can be damaged by heavy frosts[7].
The roots are brittle so any transplanting should be done with care[7].
Range: South-western N. America - California.
Habitat: Dry open hills and plains, occasionally in woods, below 1500 metres[5].
Edibility: Bulb - cooked[8][5][9][10]. A slow baking in its skin will remove any soapiness in the taste[11]. The bulb should be peeled before being eaten since the skin is fibrous[12]. The bulb can also be peeled and then boiled, though the water it is cooked in should be thrown away[9]. Although wholesome and nutritious when thoroughly cooked, the raw bulb should not be eaten because it contains saponins[K]. The bulb is very large and can be up to 15cm in diameter[4].
Young leaves - raw or cooked[10]. Used as a potherb when harvested in the spring, they are very sweet when slowly baked[11][12][13].
Medicinal: Soap lily bulbs contain saponins, a medicinally active ingredient that is of particular value as an antiseptic wash. Saponins are somewhat toxic (see the notes above on toxicity) and so any internal use of this plant should be carried out with great care[K].
The bulb is antiseptic, carminative, diuretic and laxative[9][13]. A decoction has been used to treat wind in the stomach[13]. Externally, the bulbs have been rubbed on rheumatic joints[13]. The pounded bulbs were mixed with water and used as a hair wash in the treatment of dandruff, to prevent lice and also to treat skin irritations including that caused by poison oak[14][13]. A poultice of the baked bulbs has been used as an antiseptic on skin sores[13].
Usage: A glue can be made from the sap that is expressed from baking bulbs[11][9][13].
The bulbs can be boiled into a liquid starch which can then be used to twined baskets to close the interstices so that seeds do not fall through[13].
A soap is obtained from the bulb[15][16][17][7]. The bulb is stripped of its outer fibrous covering and rubbed on clothes or hands in water to produce a lather[11][18]. It is very good for delicate fabrics and has a gentle affect upon the skin[11][K]. The bulb can also be dried for later use, it can then be grated as required and used as soap flakes[11].
A fibre obtained from the outer covering of the bulb is used to make small brushes or as a filling for mattresses etc[11][9][7][13].
Notes: We could supply this in the next catalogue.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The bulb contains saponins. Although fairly toxic, these substances are very poorly absorbed by the body and most of them simply pass straight through. Saponins are found in a number of common foods, including many beans. They are destroyed by thorough co
Also Known As: Loathoe pomeridiana.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Buchanan, Rita. A Weavers Garden.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Sweet, Muriel. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co, 1962.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Balls, Edward. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press, 1975.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.