Small Vanilla Lily
Arthropodium minus
Family: Asphodelaceae
What it is like
Arthropodium minus is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in flower in May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). 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 moist soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Found in a variety of habitats from the coast to alpine areas. Eucalyptus forests, woodlands and sub-alpine meadows, favouring drier habitats than A. milleflorum.
Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Root - cooked. Rather watery with a slightly sweet or bitter flavour. Plants produce about 4 - 5 tubers, each of which are up to 3cm long.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Prefers a well-drained sandy peaty loam in a warm, sheltered sunny position. Succeeds in areas where temperatures seldom fall much below freezing so long as it is given a sunny sheltered position and a well-drained soil. Plants are hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens, though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and colder longer and wetter winters. The plant has a strong scent of vanilla, this is especially noticeable on warm days.
Propagating it: Seed - sow late winter in a cold greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for at least their first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 7-10
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist