Scientific Name
Bomarea edulis (Tussac) Herb.
Common Name(s)
Pink Bomarea
Synonym(s)
Alstroemeria edulis, Alstroemeria affinis, Alstroemeria gloriosa, Alstroemeria grandifolia, Alstroemeria hirtella, Alstroemeria jacquesiana, Alstroemeria miniata, Alstroemeria pauciflora, Alstroemeria salsilla, Alstroemeria salsilloides, Alstroemeria sepium, Bomarea affinis, Bomarea bakeriana, Bomarea brauniana, Bomarea cachimbensis, Bomarea caraccensis, Bomarea furcata, Bomarea gloriosa, Bomarea grandifolia, Bomarea guianensis, Bomarea hirta, Bomarea hirtella, Bomarea jacquesiana, Bomarea janeirensis, Bomarea maakiana, Bomarea macrophylla, Bomarea maranensis, Bomarea martiana, Bomarea miniata, Bomarea ovata var. tatiana, Bomarea paradoxa, Bomarea perlongipes, Bomarea petiolata, Bomarea salsilla, Bomarea salsilloides, Bomarea sororia, Bomarea spectabilis, Bomarea tatiana, Vandesia edulis
Scientific Classification
Family: Alstroemeriaceae
Tribe: Alstroemerieae
Genus: Bomarea
Etymology
The specific epithet "edulis" refers to how the tubers are edible, supposedly tasting like potatoes.
Flower
Color: Soft salmon, yellow outside, and lime green with black spotting inside
Bloom Time: Summer
Description
Bomarea edulis is a tuberous vine with attractive twining shoots. It climbs up to 10 feet (3 m) tall, although it may be kept shorter. The flower clusters appear on the tips all summer long.
The flowers are soft salmon yellow outside and lime green with black spotting inside. If grown indoors, it can bloom all year long. Each cluster can have up to 25 blooms.
How to Grow and Care
To see Bomareas at their best, they need a warm position with lots of sunlight (although they can be grown under artificial lights). They are quite tough, and the plants can survive milder areas if grown outside with roots that will survive to around 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) if a thick layer of mulch is provided. Still, the plant may die back in prolonged cold periods but will recover by springtime when new growth emerges.
Keep plants well-watered in the summer months, and when winter sets in, you should only provide a bare minimum amount of water, and the plant should be kept almost dry.
Growing Bomarea from seed is not difficult as they have simple needs. Still, a little preparation before the initial planting of the seed is sometimes recommended to yield the best results. However, the preparation usually is only needed for seeds that have been stored for longer periods. To propagate seeds successfully, it is best to sow them in well-draining soil as soon as they are ripe or as fresh as possible in a propagator or warm greenhouse with temperature regulated at around 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 25 degrees Celsius).
See more at How to Grow and Care for Bomarea.
Origin
The native range of Bomarea edulis is in Central and South America.
Links
- Back to genus Bomarea
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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