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Tulbaghia violacea

Common name:	Society Garlic	Family:	Alliaceae
Author:	Harv.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Africa - Eastern Cape, Transvaal.
Habitat:	Not known
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Society Garlic [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	violacea = violet;

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from June to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) 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, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Flowers; Leaves; Root.

Leaves and stems - raw or cooked. A mild garlic flavour, they are used as a flavouring in soups and salads[183]. The leaves taste hot but do not have a lot of flavour[K].
Flowers - raw or cooked. They can be added to salads, used as a garnish or as a flavouring in cooked foods[183]. The flowers are very ornamental, they have an onion-like heat in the mouth but very little flavour[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained soil in a sunny sheltered position[200].
Hardy in the mildest areas of Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -10°c, it can be grown as a bedding plant or at the base of a warm wall[200]. Plants succeed outdoors at Edinburgh botanical gardens[90].
Plants grow from a cluster of small bulbs attached to a basal plate that is sometimes regarded as a rhizome[200].
The flowers are very fragrant at night, the whole plant has a garlic-like aroma[200]. There are some named varieties, selected for their ornamental value[200]. 'Silver Lace' is a dwarf clumping plant that grows well in containers and is more attractive with larger flowers than the type[183, 200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the greenhouse[200]. Sow stored seed in early spring in the greenhouse[200]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. If planting them outdoors, this is best done in late summer when the plants are dormant.
Division of the dormant plants in late summer.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are very fragrant at night, the whole plant has a garlic-like aroma.

Cultivars

'Silver Lace': A dwarf clumping plant that grows well in containers and is more attractive with larger flowers than the type[183, 200].

Suppliers

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

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[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.

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[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.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

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?Tulbaghia+violacea
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Tulbaghia+violacea

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