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Bomarea glaucescens
Alstroemeriaceae FAMILY

Bomarea glaucescens

Bomarea glaucescens

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

The fresh sap of this plant can cause skin rashes in some people. The plant contains small quantities (up to 0.2%) of the compound tuliposide A, which probably hydrolizes on the skin to form the allergenic lactone tulipalin A. People who are allergic to the sap of tulips are very likely to also be sensitive to the sap of this plant[1, 2].

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

A plant of higher elevations in the tropics, it can also be grown in the subtropics.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe - it will germinate in a few weeks[3]. Stratify stored seed for 3 weeks at 20°c, then 3 weeks at 5°c[4]. It usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20°c[4]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant out when large enough. Division when the plants are dormant. Be careful since the roots are brittle. Each portion must have some roots and a growth bud[3]. Pot up the divisions, grow them on until they are well established and then plant them out into their permanent positions Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Bomarea+glaucescens>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. — Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. · Wolfe · 1984 · ISBN 0723408394 ↩︎Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
  2. [2]BoDD (Botanical Dermatology Database) — http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/ ↩︎Brief notes on a very wide range of plants that have reports of causing harm to the skin.
  3. [3]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  4. [4]Growing from Seed. Volume 3. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1989 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  5. [5]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  6. [6]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.