Herb: Tiger Flower


Latin name: Tigridia pavonia


Family: Iridaceae (Iris Family)



Medicinal use of Tiger Flower:

The plant has been used to promote fertility.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Corm


Height:
60 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
June to
October

Habitat of the herb:

Oak and pine forests, it is also frequent on roadsides and in semi-wild habitats.

Edible parts of Tiger Flower:

Corm - cooked. Delicious when baked, tasting like a sweet potato. The corm is quite small unfortunately and so will never be more than a very tasty occasional treat. The corm has an unpleasant, burning sensation on the mouth if it is eaten raw.

Propagation of the herb:

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. 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.

Cultivation of Tiger Flower:

Oak and pine forests, it is also frequent on roadsides and in semi-wild habitats.

Known hazards of Tigridia pavonia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.