Weevil lily, Palm-grass, Star-grass
Curculigo capitulata

Family: Hypoxidaceae

What it is like

A lily herb which grows up to 1 m tall. It forms spreading clumps. The rhizome is thick and black. It has fibrous roots. There are several thick rhizomes with tubers and slender creeping stolons. There are 4-7 leaves. The leaf stalks are 30-80 cm long. The leaves are oblong to sword shaped and 40-90 cm long by 5-14 cm wide. They may have some hairs. The leaves are bright green and pleated. The flowering stalk has a round head near ground level. The flowering stems are 15-30 cm long. The flowers are nodding. The flowers are 2 cm across. They are bright yellow. The fruit are berries. The individual berries are 7-16 mm long. They occur in clusters at the base of the plant. These contain many seeds. The fruit are edible. The fruit is a white berry 4-5 mm across. The seeds are black with irregular stripes.

There are 7 Molineria species. The fruit are tasteless but contain a sweetening agent. Also put in the family Amaryllidaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical rainforest. It suits humid locations. It grows in sheltered gullies. It will grow in subtropical and warm temperate locations. It grows up to 1,800 m above sea level. It grows in wet soil. They can tolerate moderate frosts. In Argentina it grows below 100 m above sea level. Melbourne Botanical Gardens. It grows in hilly country in Malaysia. It grows in shady and moist places in forests between 800-2,200 m above sea level in southern China. Geelong Botanical Gardens. In XTBG Yunnan. In Sichuan. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Townsville Queens BG.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia (country/location of origin), Bangladesh, Bhutan, Canada, Central America, China, Hawaii, Himalayas, India (country/location of origin), Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, South America, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, USA, Vietnam, West Africa

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw. The leaves are used as a potherb. The young stems and leaves are made into soup.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves, stems

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from fresh seed or by dividing the clump. It can be grown by air-layering.

They are fast growing.

Its other names

Local names

Congkok, Doik, Doyak, Kywet-malut, Lumbah merah, Ma ni zu se, Molineria, Qhaib xyab, Tong-song-kha, Tsan-ngan, Xie wo

Synonyms

Curculigo capitulata (Lour.) Kuntze; Curculigo recurvata Dryander; Leucojum capitulatum Lour.; Molineria capitulata (Lour) ; Molineria recurvata (Dryander) Aiton; and others