Tigridia pavonia
(L.f.) DC.
Iridaceae
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
Flowering plant
Photograph by: Sten Porse
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Flowering plant
Photograph by: Sten Porse
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Close-up of a flower
Photograph by: Citron
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Close-up of a flower
Photograph by: Not known
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5
Flowering plant
Photograph by: KenFern
A dried botanical specimen - but it does show a bulb and it is the only bulb picture we have at present!
Photograph by: Rohweder, Otto - 1116; MBG
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 | |
Habit | Corm |
Height | 0.60 m |
Pollinators | Insects |
Cultivation Status | Ornamental, 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.
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