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Burchardia umbellata

Common name:	Milkmaids	Family:	Colchicaceae
Author:	R.Br.	Botanical references:	154, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat:	Heaths, flats, open forests and low hillsides in all regions[154, 193].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Reya umbellata[G]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	bella = pretty;

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in flower in May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. 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, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

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

Edible Uses

Root.

Root - raw or cooked[193]. Starchy but a non-descript flavour[144]. Pleasantly starchy, much like raw potato[193].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained sandy peat or a peat and loam mix[1]. Requires plenty of moisture in the growing season from late winter to spring but the plant dies down in the summer and should be kept drier at this time[157].
Although the plant tolerates temperatures down to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[157]. in the cooler climate of Britain it is not really very hardy. It can, however, be grown outdoors in the summer and be lifted in the autumn and stored in a cool but frost-free place over winter[200]. There is a conflict with this last statement because the plant normally comes into root growth in late winter and flowers in spring. We assume that for storage to work you have to keep the rhizomes fairly dry and cool in storage to prevent early growth[K]. Plants also grow very well in a cool greenhouse where it should be repotted rather loosely in the spring of each year[1].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information on this plant but would advise sowing the seed in a warm greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the summer or sowing the stored seed in a greenhouse in the spring. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Reya umbellata (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic 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]).

[144] Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
A very good pocket guide.

[154] Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.
A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.

[157] Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0
A lovely book, written in order to encourage Australian gardeners to grow their native plants. A little bit of information for the plant project.

[193] Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989 ISBN 0-207-14383-8
Well presented, clear information and good photographs. An interesting read for the casual reader as well as the enthusiast

[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

Burchardia umbellata

Richard Clark (rmc@swisp.net.au) Fri Dec 29 15:09:38 2000

Grows naturally in Western Australia!!!

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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
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