Moraea fugax
| Moraea fugax | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Moraea fugax
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse. A spring sowing in the greenhouse has proved very successful with us[K]. Sow the seed thinly so that the young plants can be grown on in the pot without disturbance for their first year. Give an occasional liquid feed to ensure that the plants do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs at the end of their first growing season, placing 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on in the greenhouse for another 2 years before planting them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant in the autumn.
Division of offsets whilst the plants are dormant from September to January. The larger bulbs can be replanted immediately into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on for a year before planting them out in the autumn.
Cultivation: Requires a light gritty well-drained soil and a sunny position[1][2][3]. The bulbs must be kept dry whilst they are dormant[2][3].
This species is not quite hardy in Britain, though it does well in a cold greenhouse or cool conservatory[4][3]. The corms should be planted about 12cm deep.
Individual flowers only live for 6 hours, though the plant produces a succession of blooms during the flowering period[1].
Range: S. Africa.
Habitat: Flat land and mountain slopes[5], usually on sandy soils.
Edibility: Bulb - cooked[6]. Palatable and nourishing, with a flavour that is like sweet chestnuts or potatoes[7][1][8].
Soil: Can grow in light soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: M. edulis. (L.f.)Ker-Gawl.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Innes, Clive. The World of Iridaceae. Holly Gate, 1985.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Adamson, Robert and Terence Salter. Flora of the Cape Peninsula. 1950.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.