Pancratium maritimum
Sea Daffodil
an evergreen member of the Pancratium genus in the family Amaryllidaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Genus
- Pancratium
- Foliage
- evergreen
- Height
- 0.5 m
- Spread
- 0.3 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.
The bulb is somewhat poisonous[2].
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Bulb - cooked[6][3]. This report is somewhat dubious since there are reports that the bulb is poisonous. Seed[11]. No further details are given.
- Plant part
- Root
- Plant part
- Seed
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The woolly hairs on the inside of the seed coat (should this say the seed case?) are used to weave felt shoes and other garments[11][5].
- Product or use
- Fibre
Environment
- Range
- S. Europe.
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 8+
- Soil textures
- sandy
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerances
- high wind, maritime exposure
- Wind
- Yes
- Maritime
- Yes
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[7]. Pre-soak stored seed for 1 hour in warm water and then sow in spring in a warm greenhouse in a light sandy soil[1]. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 22°c. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be left undisturbed in the pot for their first two years of growth. Give them an occasional liquid feed in the growing season to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants become dormant in late summer, pot up the small bulbs placing 2 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another one or two years in the greenhouse before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer. Division of offsets when the plant dies down in late summer.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Requires a light very well drained sandy soil in a very sunny position[9]. Requires a warm sheltered position when grown outdoors in Britain[7]. Requires a hot dry summer in order to fully ripen its bulb, it is more easily grown in a bulb frame in Britain[7]. Tolerates temperatures down to about -5°c[7], it is only hardy in the milder areas of Britain, requiring protection even there in the winter[1]. The bulb should be planted deeply and rapid spring growth should be encouraged[1]. Another report says that plants are easily grown outdoors in Britain but that the leaves are susceptible to frost damage and the plant does not flower well in an average British summer[12]. The flowers have an exotic lily scent[8].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
? Alpine Garden Society Bulletin. Volume 56. Alpine Garden Society
Niebuhr. A. D. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America. 1970-00-00
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938-00-00
Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1
Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30253-1