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Useful Tropical Plants

Tigridia pavonia

(L.f.) DC.

Iridaceae

+ Synonyms

Beatonia grandiflora (Cav.) Klatt

Beatonia lutea (Link, Klotzsch & Otto) Klatt

Ferraria pavonia L.f.

Ferraria tigridia Sims

Marica tigridia (Sims) Lehm.

Moraea grandiflora (Cav.) Pers.

Moraea pavonia (L.f.) Thunb.

Moraea tigridia (Sims) Baker

Sisyrinchium grandiflorum Cav.

Sisyrinchium palmifolium Sessé & Moc.

Tigridia conchiflora Sweet

Tigridia grandiflora (Cav.) Diels

Tigridia grandiflora Salisb.

Tigridia lutea Link, Klotzsch & Otto

Tigridia oxypetala R.Morris

Tigridia pringlei S.Watson

Tigridia speciosa Poit.

Vieusseuxia pavonia (L.f.) DC.

Common Name: Tiger Flower

Tigridia pavonia
Flowering plant
Photograph by: Sten Porse
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Tigridia pavonia Tigridia pavonia Tigridia pavonia Tigridia pavonia Tigridia pavonia Tigridia pavonia

General Information

Tiger flower is a perennial, stemless plant growing about 60cm tall from an underground corm.
The plant has been used as a source of food by native peoples for many hundreds of years[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
]. A very attractive flowering bulb, it is grown as an ornamental in tropical to warm temperate areas.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Range

C. America - Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico.

Habitat

Oak and pine forests, it is also frequent on roadsides and in semi-wild habitats[
90
Title
Bulbs
Publication
 
Author
Phillips. R. and Rix. M.
Publisher
Pan Books
Year
1989
ISBN
0-330-30253-1
Description
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitCorm
Height0.60 m
PollinatorsInsects
Cultivation StatusOrnamental, Wild

Cultivation Details


Prefers a well-drained light sandy soil in a warm sunny position[
1
Title
RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Publication
 
Author
F. Chittendon.
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Year
1951
ISBN
-
Description
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
42
Title
Hardy Bulbs.
Publication
 
Author
Grey. C. H.
Publisher
Williams & Norgate.
Year
1938
ISBN
-
Description
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.
]. Likes plenty of moisture in the growing season[
188
Title
The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers
Publication
 
Author
Brickell. C.
Publisher
Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd.
Year
1990
ISBN
0-86318-386-7
Description
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
].
Plants flower in their first or second year from seed[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Edible Uses

Corm - cooked[
2
Title
Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
Publication
 
Author
Hedrick. U. P.
Publisher
Dover Publications
Year
1972
ISBN
0-486-20459-6
Description
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
,
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
61
Title
A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
Publication
 
Author
Usher. G.
Publisher
Constable
Year
1974
ISBN
0094579202
Description
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
,
105
Title
Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
Publication
 
Author
Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
Publisher
Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
Year
1976
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
]. Delicious when baked, tasting like a sweet potato[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. The corm is quite small unfortunately and so will never be more than a very tasty occasional treat[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. The corm has an unpleasant, burning sensation on the mouth if it is eaten raw[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Medicinal

The plant has been used to promote fertility[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

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[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
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.
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Tigridia+pavonia>

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