Bloomeria crocea

(Torr.) Coville.

Golden stars

AsparagaceaeRoots

iNaturalist · cc-by
(c) Adam J. Searcy, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Adam J. Searcy

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) nathantay, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Root, Bulb

Edible Parts: Root Edible Uses: Bulb. It can be eaten raw at any time of the year.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant.

Australia, North America, USA,

Countries: Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, St Vincent

How to Identify

Bulbous plant growing 30cm tall and 10cm wide, hardy to UK zone 8. Flowers May to June. Hermaphroditic. Grows in light sandy and medium loamy, well-drained soils with mildly acid to basic pH. Requires full sun and prefers moist soil.

How to Grow

Propagation: Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe or February/March in a well-drained compost in the greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 15°c. Sow the seed thinly so that it can be grown on in the pot without disturbance for the first year, but apply an occasional liquid feed to ensure the plants do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when they are dormant, putting 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot, and grow them on in a cold frame for another 2 years before planting them out in the autumn when they are dormant. Division of flowering size offsets in the autumn. They are freely produced. The larger bulbs can be planted straight out into their permanent positions if required, whilst it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on for a year in a cold frame before planting them out in the autumn.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Other Uses

The bulbs can be rubbed on metate into an adhesive and spread on seed gathering baskets to close the interstices. No explanation is given of what metate is. There is a bamboo plant with this common name, but it is not native to America. Special Uses

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Bloomeria crocea, also known as goldenstar, is a geophyte from southern California and northern Baja California. It is found along hillsides, in grassland and chaparral edges, and in dry flats.

Notes

Also put in the family Alliaceae

References (2)

Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 44
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/