Practical
Plants

Polianthes tuberosa

Tuberose

a member of the Polianthes genus in the family Agavaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Agavaceae
Height
1 m
Spread
0.15 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

Flowers - cooked. Used in vegetable soups or added to the substrate of 'kecap', an Indonesian soy sauce[8][3][4]. The flowers are the source of tuberosa-flower water[4]. No further details are given.

Plant part
Flowers

Material uses

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

An essential oil is obtained from the flowers. It is used in high grade perfumery[8][9][2]. 1150kg of flowers yield 1kg absolute essential oil[8][9].

Product or use
Essential

Environment

Range
Southern N. America - Mexico.
Habitat
Not known in a truly wild situation[6].
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 sunny position in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of offsets after the plant has finished flowering in late summer.

Cultivation

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

Requires a warm sheltered position[6] and a well-drained soil[5]. When grown in pots it is best to use a fibrous loam enriched with compost and some silver sand for drainage[7]. Plants require copious amounts of moisture when starting into growth[7]. Not very hardy outdoors in Britain, this species is often grown in the greenhouse where it can be induced to flower at almost any time of the year[1]. It can also be grown outdoors in warm areas of Britain, planting out the bulbs in spring, harvesting them in the autumn and storing them in sand overwinter in a cool but frost-free place[6]. This species is sometimes cultivated for its edible flowers[4]. They are very strongly scented[6]. The flowers are perhaps the most powerfully scented of all flowers. The perfume is almost intoxicating, especially when the plant is grown in gentle heat when it is heavy and sickly almost to the point of unpleasantness[7]. A double-flowered cultivar, 'The Pearl' has an even more pronounced fragrance[7]. The plant is cultivated for its essential oil in China[9].

References

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

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  2. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

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

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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