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Bomarea acutifolia

Common name:	Yatzi	Family:	Alstroemeriaceae
Author:	(Link.&Otto.)Herb.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Southern N. America - S. Mexico.
Habitat:	Shady woodlands in oak woods, tropical deciduous and tropical evergreen forests[181].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	acutifolia = pointed leaves;

Physical Characteristics

Perennial Climber. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in flower from August to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. We rate it 2/5 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 and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Root.

Tuber - cooked[61, 105, 171]. Starchy[46, 181].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a warm sunny position and a well-drained slightly acid soil[1, 200].
Plants are possibly hardy in the milder areas of Britain[1]. They prefer a minimum night temperature of 10°c[138]. Keep the plants almost dry in winter[138] and apply a good thick organic mulch to the roots[200]. The mulch should be removed as growth commences in the spring because the young shoots are very susceptible to slug damage[K].
This genus is closely related to Alstroemeria species[200]. The plant is closely related to B. shuttleworthi[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse, it will germinate in a few weeks[1]. Stratify stored seed for 3 weeks at 20°c, then 3 weeks at 5°c[138]. It usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20°c[138]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer.
Division in spring, with care since the roots are brittle. Each portion must have some roots and a growth bud[1]. Pot up the divisions, grow them on in the greenhouse until they are well established and then plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer or late spring of the following year.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[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

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[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]).

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

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

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[181] Pesman. M. W. Meet Flora Mexicana. Dale S. King. Arizona. 1962
Very readable flora but rather lacking botanically. A few notes on useful plants.

[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.

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?Bomarea+acutifolia
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