Albuca amboensis
(Schinz) Oberm.
Asparagaceae
Ornithogalum amboense Schinz
Common Name: Slime Lily
General Information
Albuca amboensis is a perennial plant producing 3 - 4 leaves up to 22cm tall from an underground bulb around 3cm in diameter[
515- Title
- Flora of Tropical Africa Vol 1 - 8
- Publication
-
- Author
- Var
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- L.Reeve & Co.; Ashford, Kent.
- Year
- 1868 - 1917
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Very little information on habitat, range and uses, but gives good descriptions of the plants. It can be downloaded from the internet.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
515- Title
- Flora of Tropical Africa Vol 1 - 8
- Publication
-
- Author
- Var
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- L.Reeve & Co.; Ashford, Kent.
- Year
- 1868 - 1917
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Very little information on habitat, range and uses, but gives good descriptions of the plants. It can be downloaded from the internet.
Range
Southern Africa - Namibia, Botswana.
Habitat
Not known
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Bulb |
| Height | 0.18 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Albuca amboensis is found wild in arid to sub-arid, subtropical to tropical regions of Namibia and Botswana. Growing in a mountainous region in Botswana, the plant is likely to experience frost. One report says that it is possible to grow it outdoors in the temperate zone in areas where frosts are short-lived and temperatures never fall below -5°c, though even then applyin a thick mulch of organic material over the winter will help to ensure survival[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. It is probably best to also give the bulbs some protection in the winter, preferably using a cloche or pane of glass, which will have the added bonus of keeping the bulb dry[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Requires a sheltered position in full sun in a light well-drained soil[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - raw. Used in salads[
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
].
Bulbs - raw. Used in salads[
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
]. The bulb is up to 3cm in diameter[
515- Title
- Flora of Tropical Africa Vol 1 - 8
- Publication
-
- Author
- Var
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- L.Reeve & Co.; Ashford, Kent.
- Year
- 1868 - 1917
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Very little information on habitat, range and uses, but gives good descriptions of the plants. It can be downloaded from the internet.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in a light well-drained compost as soon as it is ripe if possible, otherwise in spring. Sow the seed thinly so that the young plants can be grown on in the same pot for their first year of growth. Apply a liquid feed from time to time if the seedlings look as though they need nutrients and prick them out at the end of their first growing season. Grow on the plants for at least their next winter in a greenhouse and plant out when the bulbs are dormant in late summer or early autumn.
Division of offsets in late summer.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
