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Brodiaea coronaria

Brodiaea coronaria: Flower
Photo by Derrick Ditchburn. High resolution version

Common name:	Californian Hyacinth	Family:	Alliaceae
Author:	(Salisb.)Engl.	Botanical references:	60, 200
Synonyms:	Hookera coronaria (Salisb.), Brodiaea rosea ((Greene) Baker.), Brodiaea grandiflora (Sm.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America.
Habitat:	Gravelly prairies, grassy slopes and rocky buffs[60].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	B. coronaria ssp. rosea[B,C,CAL,P] B. coronaria var. rosea[B,P] B. douglasii[B,P] Hookeria rosea[B,P] Triteleia grandiflora var. grandiflora[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Harvest Cluster-lily [B], Harvest Clusterlily [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	corona = crown; coronaria = for wreathes or garlands;

Physical Characteristics

Corm growing to 0.25m by 0.1m . It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from May to July, and the seeds ripen from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 3/5 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 can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, By Walls, By South Wall, By East Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Fruit; Root.

Corm - raw or cooked[105, 161, 177]. Baked or boiled and eaten like potatoes[257]. When slowly roasted, it becomes very sweet[95].
Edible fruit[2]. This report is rather dubious and possibly refers to the seedpod since the seed is encased in a small dry capsule[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a rich sandy loam and a well-drained soil in a sheltered position[1, 188]. Succeeds in most soils and situations[42]. Likes plenty of moisture whilst in growth, followed by a warm dry period in late summer to autumn[200].
Plants may require protection in severe winters[1], they are susceptible to rot in wet winters[200]. They die down in the summer after flowering[188].
A very ornamental plant[2], it can flower in 2 years from seed[138].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[200]. The seed can also be sown in spring in a cold frame[138]. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 15°c[138]. Sow the seed thinly so that it will not require thinning and grow the seedlings on undisturbed in the pot for their first year. Pot up the small bulbs when they are dormant in early autumn and grow them on for at least another year before planting them out when dormant in the autumn. Seedlings are prone to damping off, they should be watered with care and given plenty of ventilation[138].
Division in autumn[188]. Dig up the clumps of corms when they are dormant, divide them and replant the larger corms into their permanent positions. It is best to pot up the smaller corms and grow them on for a year in a cold frame, planting them out in late summer or 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.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Brodiaea coronaria ssp. rosea (a possible synonym).

[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Triteleia grandiflora var. grandiflora (a possible synonym).

[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants 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]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[95] Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976 ISBN 0-486-23310-3
Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.

[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.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[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.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[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.
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