Practical
Plants

Bulbinopsis bulbosa

Golden Lily

a perennial member of the Bulbinopsis genus in the family Asphodelaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.45 m
Spread
0.25 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

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

Causes severe scouring if eaten by sheep or cattle[3].

Edible uses

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

Tuber - cooked[2]. Starchy and palatable when grown in moist conditions[5]. Plants only produce one tuber and that is up to 3cm wide[5].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat
Grassland and rock crevices[4], in swampy situations up to the sub-alpine zone[3]. Usually found on flats or sandy soils[3]. Woodlands, grassland and saltbush plains[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
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 - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in spring in a greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first two winters, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in the spring. Best done as the plants come into growth. Pot the divisions up and grow them on in a cold frame until they are established then plant them out in the summer.

Cultivation

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

Easily grown in a well-drained sandy loam in a sunny sheltered position[6]. Tolerates poor soils[6]. Hardy to about -7°c in Australian gardens[4], though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. Plants are almost hardy in Britain[1] and can be grown outdoors in the milder areas of the country[7]. They should be heavily mulched over the winter in areas where temperatures fall much below zero[6]. Transplants readily[4]. The flowering stems are easily damaged and flattened[4]. A very ornamental[7] and polymorphic species which could possibly be better treated as a complex of closely related species[5].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4

    ↩

  3. Ewart. A. J. Flora of Victoria.

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Wrigley. J. W. and Fagg. M. Australian Native Plants. Collins. (Australia) 1988-00-00 ISBN 0-7322-0021-0

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  5. Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-207-14383-8

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩1↩2

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