Common Name: Golden Lily

General Information

Bulbine bulbosa is a perennial plant producing rosettes of grass-like leaves up to 45cm tall from a tuberous rootstock.
The edible tuber is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use. The plant is often grown as an ornamental in gardens.

Known Hazards

Causes severe scouring if eaten by sheep or cattle[].

Botanical References

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Range

Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria

Habitat

Grassland and rock crevices[], in swampy situations up to the sub-alpine zone[]. Usually found on flats or sandy soils[]. Woodlands, grassland and saltbush plains[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.45 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Bulbine bulbosa is found from the temperate zone of Tasmania to the tropics of central Queensland. It can tolerate some frost - it is said to tolerate short-lived temperatures falling as low as -7°c so long as the soil is very well drained. Plants can be grown outdoors in the milder areas of the temperate zone[, ].
Easily grown in a well-drained sandy loam in a sunny sheltered position[]. Tolerates poor soils[].
Plants should be heavily mulched over the winter in areas where temperatures fall much below zero[].
Transplants readily[].
The flowering stems are easily damaged and flattened[].
A very ornamental[] and polymorphic species which could possibly be better treated as a complex of closely related species[].

Edible Uses

Tuber - cooked[]. Starchy and palatable when grown in moist conditions[]. Plants only produce one tuber and that is up to 3cm wide[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in spring in a greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first two winters, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in the spring. Best done as the plants come into growth. Pot the divisions up and grow them on in a cold frame until they are established then plant them out in the summer.