Practical
Plants

Zephyranthes atamasca

Atamasco Lily

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Taxonomy and growth

Height
0.3 m
Spread
0.1 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

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.

The bulb contains toxic compounds[13]. Horses are said to get the staggers (a cerebrospinal disease) from eating the leaves and bulbs[6].

Edible uses

Bulb - cooked[4][7][11][12]. It is used as an emergency food when better foods are in short supply[12][3]. The bulb is up to 3cm long[8]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
Southern N. America - Missouri and Virginia to Florida.
Habitat
Damp woods[10].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be left undisturbed in the pot for their first year 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 the summer, pot up the small bulbs placing 2 - 3 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 after the plant dies down in late spring or early summer. Larger bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions whilst it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in the greenhouse for a year before planting them out.

Cultivation

Requires a position in full sun when grown outdoors in Britain and a well-drained moisture retentive soil[1][9][5]. It strongly dislikes excessive wet, especially in the winter[5]. Plants require a definite dry resting period in late summer, if they receive water at this time they are excited into growth and can then be killed in cold weather[2]. A very ornamental plant[1], it is hardy to about -5°c and can succeed outdoors in the milder areas of Britain[5]. However, because it is in growth during the winter, it is generally best grown in a cold greenhouse or special bulb frame[K]. Bulbs should be planted about 10cm deep[5].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

  2. ? The Plantsman. Vol. 2. 1980 - 1981. Royal Horticultural Society 1980-00-00

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  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  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

  6. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

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  7. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

    ↩

  8. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

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

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  10. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  13. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩

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