Slime Lily, Albuca
Albuca canadensis
Family: Hyacinthaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late spring. Form: Irregular or sprawling.
Albuca canadensis is a BULB growing to 0.4 m (1ft 4in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in flower in April. 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): 0.4
Where it is found
Deep sandy soils on flats and lower slopes, usually near the sea.
S. Africa.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
The succulent stems are chewed to allay thirst. They are rather mucilaginous. This use is listed for A. major, but since this species is so closely related it almost certainly has the same use.
Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container. Requires a sheltered position in full sun in a light well-drained soil. Succeeds outdoors in areas where frosts are short-lived and light, to a minimum of -5°, and in such areas grow well in a wild or informal garden. It is best to give the bulbs some protection in the winter, preferably using a cloche or pane of glass. This species is closely related to A. major and that species is included here by some botanists. Special Features: Not North American native, Fragrant flowers.
Propagating it: Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in a light well-drained compost as soon as it is ripe if possible, otherwise in spring. Sow the seed thinly so that the young plants can be grown on in the same pot for their first year of growth. Apply a liquid feed from time to time if the seedlings look as though they need nutrients and prick them out at the end of their first growing season. Grow on the plants for at least their next winter in a greenhouse and plant out when the bulbs are dormant in late summer or early autumn. Division of offsets in late summer.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Bulb
Hardiness: 9-11
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist