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Bloomeria crocea

Common name:	Golden Stars	Family:	Alliaceae
Author:	(Torr.)Coville.	Botanical references:	71, 200
Synonyms:	Nothoscordum aureum
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - California.
Habitat:	Dry flats and hillsides, often in heavy soils, to 1500 metres[71].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Common Goldenstars [B,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	crocea = saffron yellow;

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 0.3m by 0.1m . It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from May to June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Root.

Bulb[177]. It can be eaten raw at any time of the year[257].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

The bulbs can be rubbed on metate into an adhesive and spread on seed gathering baskets to close the interstices[257]. No explanation is given of what metate is. There is a bamboo plant with this common name, but it is not native to America.

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained rich sandy loam and a warm position[1, 138]. Likes plenty of moisture when in growth[200], but plants should be kept quite dry from when the foliage dies down until the autumn[138].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[200].
This genus is closely related to Brodiaea and Nothoscordum species[1, 200].

Propagation

Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe or February/March in a well-drained compost in the greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 15°c[134]. Sow the seed thinly so that it can be grown on in the pot without disturbance for the first year, but apply an occasional liquid feed to ensure the plants do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when they are dormant, putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot, and grow them on in a cold frame for another 2 years[134] before planting them out in the autumn when they are dormant.
Division of flowering size offsets in the autumn. They are freely produced[200]. The larger bulbs can be planted straight out into their permanent positions if required, whilst it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on for a year in a cold frame before planting them out in the autumn.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[138] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Bloomeria+crocea
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Bloomeria+crocea

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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.