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Sparaxis bulbifera

Common name:		Family:	Iridaceae
Author:	(L.)Ker-Gawl.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Africa.
Habitat:	Sandy or rocky slopes at low altitudes[79].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Ixia bulbifera[G]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	bulbifer = bulb producing; bulbifera = bulb producing;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Liliales. Iris family

Physical Characteristics

Corm growing to 0.6m by 0.15m . It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower from April to May. 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) 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, In Walls, In South Wall, In West Wall.

Edible Uses

Root.

The bulbous tubers are edible[2, 105]. No further details are given in the reports.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a light well-drained soil in a hot sunny position[1, 42, 79]. Prefers a rich soil[79].
This species is not very cold-hardy in Britain, when grown outdoors it is best planted about 15cm deep on a south facing wall in November[1]. Apply a mulch over the winter to protect the corms from cold[42]. The corms must be kept dry after flowering, at a minimum temperature of 10°c. It is best to lift the corms when the leaves die down, store them in a dry place and to replant them in November[1]. In areas with cool summers the plant might not manage to develop adequate corms for subsequent growing[200].
Plants produce bulbils on the flowering stems, when plants are grown in a greenhouse these bulbils can sow themselves around freely[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse in a light potting mix. The seed usually germinates freely within 6 weeks but the seedlings are liable to damp off so make sure you give them plenty of ventilation. It is best to sow the seed thinly so that it is not necessary to prick out the seedlings in their first year of growth. If necessary, give them some liquid feeds during the growing season. Divide up the small bulbs when the plants have become dormant at the end of the first growing season. Grow them on for at least another year before planting them out. This species often flowers in its second year from seed.
Division of offsets. This is best done when the dormant plant is lifted in summer. Larger bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cod frame for their first year, planting them out when dormant in late summer.
Bulbils. These are freely produced on the flowering stem. Pot them up when they start to fall off the plant, keep them fairly dry until November, then water them lightly through the winter.

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.
[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 the family Iridaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

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.

[79] Innes. C. The World of Iridaceae
Deals with many of the plants in the Iris family giving brief details of habitat and notes on cultivation. Well illustrated.

[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.

[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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Bibliography

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?Sparaxis+bulbifera
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