Yam Daisy
Microseris scapigera

Family: Asteraceae or Compositae

What it is like

Microseris scapigera is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.3

Where it is found

Grassland and open places on North, South and Stewart Islands in New Zealand. Loamy soils or moist clay up to the montane and sub-alpine zones in Australia. Also found on salt pans.

Australia - New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. New Zealand.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Root - raw or cooked. Sweetish and moist with a coconut flavour. The root tastes like a sweet potato with an occasional hot taste. It is said to be delicious. The root is between 2 and 8cm long. A favourite food of the Australian Aborigines, who ate the roots in quantity. The root can be harvested all year round but it tastes bitter at certain times of the year, especially in early winter.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

We do not have much information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of the country. The Australian form is said to be hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens, though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer colder and wetter winters. Plants are likely to require a well-drained soil in a sunny position. This is a polymorphic species that is found in both New Zealand and in Australia. Some botanists have separated off the Australian form as a distinct species, M. lanceolata, which is here used as a synonym. An alpine form in the Snowy mountains of Australia has fibrous roots too thin to be worth eating. The plant has been suggested for commercial cultivation in temperate zones for its edible root.

Propagating it: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in early spring in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter, planting them out in late spring or early summer. Division in spring might be possible.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness:

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

M. forsteri. M. lanceolata. Scorzonera scapigera.