Cyanella hyacinthoides

Cyanella hyacinthoides ("lady's hand" or "Raaptoluintjie") is a species of cormous annual or perennial herb native to the western parts of South Africa.

Description

Bulbous plant reaching 0.3 m tall by 0.2 m wide. Hermaphroditic, pollinated by bees. Flowers July–August. Hardy to UK zone 9; frost tender. Grows in light sandy well-drained soils across mildly acidic to basic pH ranges. Requires full sun and tolerates drought.

Edible Uses

The bulb is edible cooked and can be used as an onion substitute.

Traditional Uses

The corms are eaten raw or cooked in milk or roasted.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

None known

Where It Grows

Root, Bulb, Fruit,

Cultivation

Prefers a light sandy soil. Requires a very warm sunny position in a very well-drained soil, it is best grown at the foot of a south-facing wall or in a south-facing bed. Plants have deeply seated corms and are very drought resistant once established. Plants are not very frost hardy, but they can be grown outdoors in the milder areas of the country if given a good mulch. Plant the bulbs 15cm deep in autumn to flower in spring or in the spring to flower in the summer. Lift the bulbs when they die down, dry them and store in a cool place until it is time to replant. Flowers are produced in 3 - 4 years from seed.

Propagation

Sow seed thinly in autumn in a greenhouse, at a density that avoids the need to thin seedlings. Once germinated, grow the seedlings in the same pot for their first year, giving an occasional liquid feed to prevent mineral deficiency. When the plants are dormant, pot up two to three small bulbs per pot and grow them on in a greenhouse until they reach flowering size, then plant out in spring after the last expected frosts. Offsets can be divided during dormancy; larger bulbs can go straight into permanent positions, while smaller ones are best grown on for a year in a cold frame before planting out.

Other Uses

None known

Production

A cleaned corm weighs about 14 gms. They are harvested during the wet season.

Other Information

Tecophilaeaceae

Notes

A herb. It develops a corm. It can grow as an annual or keep growing from year to year. It grows 15-35 cm high. There are several slender leaves develop from the corm. The corm has a long neck. The flowers are white, pink, purple or lilac. They have a scent. There are 5 small stamen above and one large stamen below.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Raap, Raaptol, Raapuintjie

References (21)

• Akinola, R., et al, 2020, A Review of Indigenous Food Crops in Africa and the Implications for more Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3493;
• Davis, S.D., Heywood, V.H., & Hamilton, A.C. (eds), 1994, Centres of plant Diversity. WWF. Vol 1. p 211
• Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 71, 349
• Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 254 (As Cyanella capensis)
• Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 78

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