Dipcadi crispum

Baker

Asparagaceae Edible: Bulb, Corm, Leaves 150 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

iNaturalist· cc-by

Description

A herb with a bulb. It grows 30 cm high. It keeps growing from year to year. The bulb is oval and has yellowish scales. There are about 4 leaves in a ring. They are about 60-200 mm long by 4-16 mm wide. The flowers are brown to orange. They are about 2 cm long. They have a sweet smell. The fruits are a large capsule. It is round and brown and 2 cm long. The seeds are 9 mm across.

Edible Uses

The bulbs or corms are eaten raw as a vegetable or roasted. The leaves are also edible.

Traditional Uses

The bulb or corm is eaten raw as a vegetable. They are also roasted.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in hot arid places with a marked dry season. The dry season can be 6-11 months. It grows in well drained stony and sandy soils. It grows between 70-300 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa,

Notes

They have also been put in the families Hyacinthaceae and Liliaceae.

Nutrition

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Leaves	81.5	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Synonyms

Dipcadi tortile R. A. Dyer

Also Known As

Glomglomkwasa, Somaes

References (4)

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 16th April 2011]
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 65
Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew