Herb: Sea Daffodil


Latin name: Pancratium maritimum


Family: Amaryllidaceae (Amaryllis Family)



Edible parts of Sea Daffodil:

Bulb - cooked. This report is somewhat dubious since there are reports that the bulb is poisonous. Seed. No further details are given.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Bulb

Height:
50 cm
(1 foot)

Flowering:
June


Scent:
Scented
Bulb

Habitat of the herb:

Maritime sands or just above the high tide mark, along the Atlantic coast.

Other uses of Sea Daffodil:

The woolly hairs on the inside of the seed coat (should this say the seed case?) are used to weave felt shoes and other garments.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse. Pre-soak stored seed for 1 hour in warm water and then sow in spring in a warm greenhouse in a light sandy soil. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 22°C. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings can be left undisturbed in the pot for their first two years of growth. Give them an occasional liquid feed in the growing season to ensure they do not become nutrient deficient. When the plants become dormant in late summer, pot up the small bulbs placing 2 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another one or two years in the greenhouse before planting them out when they are dormant in late summer. Division of offsets when the plant dies down in late summer.

Cultivation of Sea Daffodil:

Maritime sands or just above the high tide mark, along the Atlantic coast.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Pancratium maritimum:

The bulb is somewhat poisonous.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.