Zephyranthes atamasca
| Zephyranthes atamasca | |
| 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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Zephyranthes atamasca (common name: atamasco lily)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be left undisturbed in the pot for their first year of growth. Give them an occasional liquid feed in the growing season to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants become dormant in the summer, pot up the small bulbs placing 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another one or two years in the greenhouse before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer.
Division of offsets after the plant dies down in late spring or early summer. Larger bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions whilst it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in the greenhouse for a year before planting them out.
Cultivation: Requires a position in full sun when grown outdoors in Britain and a well-drained moisture retentive soil[1][2][3]. It strongly dislikes excessive wet, especially in the winter[3]. Plants require a definite dry resting period in late summer, if they receive water at this time they are excited into growth and can then be killed in cold weather[4].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is hardy to about -5°c and can succeed outdoors in the milder areas of Britain[3]. However, because it is in growth during the winter, it is generally best grown in a cold greenhouse or special bulb frame[K].
Bulbs should be planted about 10cm deep[3].
Range: Southern N. America - Missouri and Virginia to Florida.
Habitat: Damp woods[5].
Edibility: Bulb - cooked[6][7][8][9]. It is used as an emergency food when better foods are in short supply[9][10]. The bulb is up to 3cm long[11]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Spring-Early Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The bulb contains toxic compounds[12]. Horses are said to get the staggers (a cerebrospinal disease) from eating the leaves and bulbs[13].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 2. 1980 - 1981. Royal Horticultural Society, 1980.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.