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Alstroemeriaceae FAMILY

Alstroemeria versicolor

Alstroemeria versicolor

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

The fresh sap of this plant can cause skin rashes in some people. The plant contains up to 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[ 65 Title A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. Publisher Wolfe Year 1984 ISBN 0723408394 Description Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far. , 407 Title BoDD (Botanical Dermatology Database) Publication Author Website http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Brief notes on a very wide range of plants that have reports of causing harm to the skin. ].

Botanical Description

Alstroemeria versicolor is a herbaceous perennial plant producing a cluster of upright stems around 30cm tall from an underground, tuberous rootstock. The roots spread, forming in time a clump of growth[ 330 Title ChileFlora Publication Author Website http://www.chileflora.com/index.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Not realy a flora, but a lovely site with lots of helpful information for the gardener and an abundance of excellent photos covering over 2,000 species of Chilean plants. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is often grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its flowers.

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate
Native RangeS. America - Chile.
HabitatStony places and scrub at an levation of 250 - 1,700 metres from Valparaiso to Conception and in the Valle de los Cipreses[ 260 Title Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Publication Author Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Publisher Pan Books, London. Year 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5 Description Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside. ].