Tiger Flower
Tigridia pavonia
Family: Iridaceae
What it is like
Tigridia pavonia is a CORM growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.1 m (0ft 4in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to October, and the seeds ripen from September to October. 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
Oak and pine forests, it is also frequent on roadsides and in semi-wild habitats.
Southern N. America - Mexico.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Corm - cooked. Delicious when baked, tasting like a sweet potato. The corm is quite small unfortunately and so will never be more than a very tasty occasional treat. The corm has an unpleasant, burning sensation on the mouth if it is eaten raw.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The plant has been used to promote fertility.
Infertility: Used in treating problems of human fertility.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Prefers a well-drained light sandy soil in a warm sunny position. Likes plenty of moisture in the growing season. Corms are not hardy outside the milder areas of Britain and should be dug up in the autumn and stored in a cool but frost free place over winter. Plant out the corms in April or May about 15cm deep. In areas with cool summers the plant might not manage to develop adequate corms for subsequent growing. A beautiful, late flowering corm, it self-sows freely with us on a well-drained soil in Cornwall, even very wet winters do not seem to affect this plant. Plants flower in their first or second year from seed.
Propagating it: Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. It usually germinates freely. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring, after the last expected frosts. If the seedlings are potted up whilst still small and grown on quickly, they sometimes flower in their first year. Division of offsets in the autumn. Store the corms in a cool but frost-free place and plant them out in the late spring. It is probably best to pot up the smaller corms and grow them on in a greenhouse for a year before planting them out in the spring.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Corm
Hardiness: 7-10
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist