Bulbinella hookeri
(Colenso ex Hook.) Cheeseman
Asphodelaceae
Anthericum hookeri (Colenso ex Hook.) Colenso ex Hook.f.
Chrysobactron hookeri Colenso ex Hook.
Common Name: Maori Onion
General Information
Bulbinella hookeri is a herbaceous, perennial plant growing from a fleshy rootstock. The plant produces a cluster of succulent, grass-like leaves up to 30cm long plus one to many erect flowering stems up to 60cm tall[
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.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is often grown as an ornamental in gardens.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
,
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.
Range
New Zealand - North and South Islands.
Habitat
Northern slopes and damp places from lowland to sub-alpine pastures on North and South Islands south to latitude 42° south[
].
Properties
Edibility Rating | |
Habit | Perennial |
Height | 0.70 m |
Cultivation Status | Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Bulbinella hookeri only succeeds outdoors in the mildest areas of the temperate zone. It can survive short-lived temperatures down to around -5°c[
187- Title
- Perennials. Volumes 1 and 2.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. & Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books
- Year
- 1991
- ISBN
- 0-330-30936-9
- Description
- Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
,
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.
]. A plant is growing and appears hardy in the rock garden at Cambridge Botanical Gardens in England (hardiness zone 7) - it is in an open position but does not receive a lot of direct sunlight[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
An easily grown plant so long as it is in a moist peaty neutral or slightly acidic soil[
42- Title
- Hardy Bulbs.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grey. C. H.
- Publisher
- Williams & Norgate.
- Year
- 1938
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.
,
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.
,
233- Title
- Perennial Garden Plants
- Publication
-
- Author
- Thomas. G. S.
- Publisher
- J. M. Dent & Sons, London.
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0 460 86048 8
- Description
- A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
], but it also succeeds on drier hillsides[
42- Title
- Hardy Bulbs.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grey. C. H.
- Publisher
- Williams & Norgate.
- Year
- 1938
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.
,
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.
]. Shade tolerant[
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]).
].
This species is becoming much more common in the wild because it is not eaten by grazing animals nor is it killed by burning[
187- Title
- Perennials. Volumes 1 and 2.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. & Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books
- Year
- 1991
- ISBN
- 0-330-30936-9
- Description
- Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
].
Edible Uses
Root - fleshy[
173- Title
- Native Edible Plants of New Zealand.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Crowe. A.
- Publisher
- Hodder and Stoughton
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-340-508302
- Description
- A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.
,
187- Title
- Perennials. Volumes 1 and 2.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. & Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books
- Year
- 1991
- ISBN
- 0-330-30936-9
- Description
- Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
]. No further details are given.
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Sow stored seed in a greenhouse as early in the year as possible. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 13°c[
138- Title
- Growing from Seed. Volume 3.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bird. R. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Thompson and Morgan.
- Year
- 1989
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
]. 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.
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