Yatzi (Bomarea acutifolia)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −6.7 °C
Cultivation
Requires a warm sunny position and a well-drained slightly acid soil. Plants are possibly hardy in the milder areas of Britain. The mulch should be removed as growth commences in the spring because the young shoots are very susceptible to slug damage[K]. This genus is closely related to Alstroemeria species.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse, it will germinate in a few weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Division in spring, with care since the roots are brittle. Each portion must have some roots and a growth bud. Pot up the divisions, grow them on in the greenhouse until they are well established and then plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer or late spring of the following year.
Edible uses
Tuber - cooked.
Habitat
Shady woodlands in oak woods, tropical deciduous and tropical evergreen forests.
Native range
Southern N. America - S. Mexico.