Practical
Plants

Babiana plicata

Baboon Root

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Iridaceae
Genus
Babiana
Height
0.15 m
Spread
0.08 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

Corm - boiled[4][6][9][10][3]. It is 2 - 3cm in diameter[5].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
S. Africa.
Habitat
Sandy soils on flat land and mountain sides[11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cool greenhouse, it will germinate in the spring[5]. The seed can also be sown in a warm greenhouse at most times of the year[1]. It usually germinates within 4 - 8 weeks at 20°c[2]. Give young seedlings as much light as possible[2]. Sow the seed thinly so that it does not need to be thinned and grow the young plants on for their first year without disturbance. Give an occasional liquid feed to ensure that they do not become nutrient deficient. Pot the small bulbs up when they are dormant, placing 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot, and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least the next year. Plant them out into their permanent positions when the plants are dormant in the autumn. Division of offsets when the plant is dormant in the autumn. They are freely produced[8][5]. The offsets can be planted direct into their permanent positions if required.

Cultivation

An easily grown plant, it requires a warm, sunny, sheltered position in a well-drained light sandy soil[8][12]. Plants are only reliably hardy in the milder areas of Britain and are best cultivated in pots in a cold greenhouse in most parts of the country[1]. They tolerate temperatures down to about -5°c[5]. Plant the corms 20 - 25cm deep[12][5]. If necessary, the corms can be lifted after the plant dies down in the autumn and stored overwinter in a dry frost-free place, replanting them in the spring[5]. If the plants are to be left in the ground over the winter then it is best to give them a protective mulch of bracken or some similar material[7]. The growing plant resents root disturbance[2].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

  2. Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  4. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  6. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

    ↩

  7. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  8. Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  9. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  10. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  11. Adamson. and Salter. Flora of the Cape Peninsula.

    ↩

  12. Innes. C. The World of Iridaceae

    ↩1↩2

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