Botanical Name: Bloomeria aurea
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Brodiaeoideae
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asparagales
Genus: Bloomeria
Species: B. aurea
Synonyms:
*B. crocea aurea. (Kell.)Ingram.
- Nothoscordum aurea.
Common Names: Golden Stars, Common goldenstar
Habitat: Bloomeria aurea is native to South-western N. America – California. It grows on dry flats and hillsides, often in heavy soils and especially in foothill woods, to 1500 metres. in California
Description:
Bloomeria aurea is a BULB growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.1 m (0ft 4in). The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs).
Individuals of this species have a solid bulb, fibrous-coated, long narrow leaves, and a bracted cluster of many flowers (like exploding fireworks) at the top of tall flower stalk.
It blooms from April to June. Flowers of “Bloomeria aurea” are about an inch across, with pedicles from one and a half to two inch long. The flowers are orange-yellow and the anthers are bright green. The flowers are yellow and have six equal divisions with six stamens and slender filaments (which if they are looked carefully under a microscope, a short, two-toothed, hairy appendage can be seen at their base). The style is club-shaped, with a three-lobed stigma.
Several angular, wrinkled seeds are in each cell of the roundish capsule. The plant which can grow from six to eighteen inches has long, narrow, grasslike leaf with large flower-cluster which can contain around fifty blossoms.
Cultivation:
Bloomeria aurea is cultivated as an ornamental plant by specialty native plant nurseries. The plants require a warm position and well-drained rich sandy loam. During the growing season plants need moisture. When dormancy sets in and the foliage dies down, they should be kept dry until the autumn growth appears. These plants can rarely be seen in the colder areas, since the temperatures down between -5 and -10 °C can be tolerated.
Horticultural ranges for Bloomeria aurea are:
*ph: 6.00 to 8.00
*usda: zones 6 to 10
*height: 0.20–0.50 metres (0.66–1.64 ft)
*width: 0.20 metres (0.66 ft)
*rainfall: 21–73 centimetres (8.3–28.7 in)
Edible Uses: The only edible part of the plant is its roots. They can be eaten raw, although they do not taste as desirable.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomeria_aurea
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Bloomeria+aurea.
