Practical
Plants

Moraea fugax

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Iridaceae
Genus
Moraea
Height
0.5 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

Bulb - cooked[2]. Palatable and nourishing, with a flavour that is like sweet chestnuts or potatoes[4][6][3].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
S. Africa.
Habitat
Flat land and mountain slopes[7], usually on sandy soils.
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 warm greenhouse. A spring sowing in the greenhouse has proved very successful with us[K]. Sow the seed thinly so that the young plants can be grown on in the pot without disturbance for their first year. Give an occasional liquid feed to ensure that the plants do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs at the end of their first growing season, placing 2 - 3 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on in the greenhouse for another 2 years before planting them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant in the autumn. Division of offsets whilst the plants are dormant from September to January. The larger bulbs can be replanted immediately into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on for a year before planting them out in the autumn.

Cultivation

Requires a light gritty well-drained soil and a sunny position[6][8][5]. The bulbs must be kept dry whilst they are dormant[8][5]. This species is not quite hardy in Britain, though it does well in a cold greenhouse or cool conservatory[1][5]. The corms should be planted about 12cm deep. Individual flowers only live for 6 hours, though the plant produces a succession of blooms during the flowering period[6].

References

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

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

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  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

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

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

  8. Innes. C. The World of Iridaceae

    ↩1↩2

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