Bolax gummifera
(Lam.) Spreng.
Bolsam-bog
(c) John Brew, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by John Brew
(c) John Brew, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by John Brew
What to Eat
Edible parts: Root
Edible Parts: Root Edible Uses: Root - raw or roasted.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 3,500 m above sea level.
Argentina, Chile, Falklands, South America,
How to Identify
A herb or small shrub. It keeps growing from year to year. It forms hard dense cushions. These can be 1.3 m tall.
How to Grow
Propagation: Seed - it may be best to sow the seed as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring. Stored seed should be sown in late winter in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of rooting rosettes in the summer
Medicinal Uses
Antispasmodic Deobstruent An oleo-resin obtained from incisions made at the base of the main stem is antispasmodic and deobstruent.
Other Uses
Plants can be used for ground cover, forming a very dense carpet of growth. Special Uses Ground cover
Wikipedia
Source ↗Bolax gummifera is a species of flowering plant in the genus Bolax, found in the Patagonian Andes and the Falkland Islands.
Names & Synonyms
References (3)
- Leon-Lobos, P., et al, 2022, Patterns of Traditional and Modern Uses of Wild Edible Native Plants of Chile: Challenges and Future Perspectives. Plants (Basel) v 11 (6) Table S1
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Upson, R., & Lewis R., 2014, Updated Vascular Plant Checklist and Atlas for the Falkland Islands. Falklands Conservation and Kew.
