Common Name:

General Information

Bolax gummifera is an evergreen, perennial plant forming a dense cushion of growth usually around 20 - 30cm in diameter, though older plants up to 120cm in diameter are known.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and possibly also as a food. A slow-growing cushion plant, it is sometimes grown as an ornamental in gardens where it can be used as a ground cover.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southern S. America - Argentina, Chile, Falkland Islands

Habitat

Cliffs and rocks, open scrub and heath, forest margins and clearings, feldmark; at elevations up to 900 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Bolax gummifera is native to the southern tip of S. America and the Falkland Islands, where the climate is cool to cold temperate and the plant experiences snow and frosts with temperatures falling below -10°c.
Requires a position in full sun in a well-drained gritty humus-rich soil[, ].
Plants rarely flower in cultivation[].
A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

Root - raw or roasted[].

Medicinal

A fragrant oleo-resin obtained from incisions made at the base of the main stem is antispasmodic and deobstruent[]. The crushed plant is applied externally as a dressing to treat wounds[].

A methanol extract of the plant has been shown to inhibit the growth of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus

Agroforestry Uses:

Plants can be used for ground cover. Although slow-growing, they eventually form a very dense carpet of growth[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - it may be best to sow the seed as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring. Stored seed should be sown in late winter 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 rooting rosettes in the summer[]