Milkmaids
Burchardia umbellata
Family: Colchicaceae
What it is like
Burchardia umbellata is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. It is in flower in May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Heaths, flats, open forests and low hillsides in all regions.
Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Root - raw or cooked. Starchy but a non-descript flavour. Pleasantly starchy, much like raw potato.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Requires a well-drained sandy peat or a peat and loam mix. Requires plenty of moisture in the growing season from late winter to spring but the plant dies down in the summer and should be kept drier at this time. Although the plant tolerates temperatures down to at least -7°c in Australian gardens. in the cooler climate of Britain it is not really very hardy. It can, however, be grown outdoors in the summer and be lifted in the autumn and stored in a cool but frost-free place over winter. There is a conflict with this last statement because the plant normally comes into root growth in late winter and flowers in spring. We assume that for storage to work you have to keep the rhizomes fairly dry and cool in storage to prevent early growth. Plants also grow very well in a cool greenhouse where it should be repotted rather loosely in the spring of each year.
Propagating it: Seed - we have no information on this plant but would advise sowing the seed in a warm greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the summer or sowing the stored seed in a greenhouse in the spring. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 8-11
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist