Practical
Plants

Androstephium caeruleum

Blue Funnel Lily

a member of the Androstephium genus in the family Alliaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Alliaceae
Height
0.15 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Bulb[2][3]. No more details are given, but the bulb is rather small, usually less than 25mm in diameter[5].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
Southern N. America - Kansas to Texas.
Habitat
Prairies[5][6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[4]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a frame or greenhouse until large enough to go outdoors. Plant out whilst the plants are dormant in the autumn. Division of offsets when the plant is dormant in late summer.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a very well-drained rich sandy loam and a sunny position[1][4]. When the bulbs are planted about 15cm deep, they are generally hardy in Britain[1]. Another report says that plants are hardy to -10°c or more if the drainage is perfect. This species is sometimes included in the genus Bessera[1].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  5. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩1↩2

  6. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

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