| DESCRIPTION: It is a herbaceous plant forming a rosette and reaching 0.5-1 m in height and 0.2-0.5 m in width. It has white to lavender flowers, with green or purple veins. Leaves are wavy, narrow, up to 30 cm or more in length, with a ridged central vein. In a wide, spreading circle around base of plant. The bulb is very large and can be up to 15 cm in diameter. USE: The bulb is edible cooked. A slow baking in its skin will remove any soapiness in the taste. The bulb should be peeled before being eaten since the skin is fibrous. Although wholesome and nutritious when thoroughly cooked, the raw bulb should not be eaten because it contains saponins. Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. The bulb is antiseptic, carminative, diuretic and laxative. A decoction has been used to treat wind in the stomach. Externally, the bulbs have been rubbed on rheumatic joints. The pounded bulbs were mixed with water and used as a hair wash in the treatment of dandruff, to prevent lice and also to treat skin irritations including that caused by poison oak. A poultice of the baked bulbs has been used as an antiseptic on skin sores. A glue can be made from the sap that is expressed from baking bulbs. A soap is obtained from the bulb. A fibre obtained from the outer covering of the bulb is used to make small brushes or as a filling for mattresses etc. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: Soap lily, Amole lily, California soap plant, Soap plant. FURTHER INF: It can be found in California, United States in dry open hills and plains, occasionally in woods, below 1500 metres. The bulb contains saponins. |