Chlorogalum pomridianum
Family: Liliaceae
Common Name(s): Amole or Soaproot
Grown by: Kathy Till, Danville
chloro = green; galum = milk (galaxy means “milky way,” remember?)
A west coast native of cool, wet winters and dry summers. A vespertine (evening) bloomer opening (with an audible little “pop”) at 4:00 pm until morning, with narrow (water conserving) sepals dark on the backside and fluorescent white on the inside. Attractive to sphinx or Hawk moths — the insect equivalent of a Hummingbird in hovering abilities.
This plant was of considerable value to West Coast Native Peoples who use(d) the natural saponins (soaps) in the bulb for washing hair, as a topical treatment for dermatitis - even poison oak rash - and as a fish stupefying agent when beaten into the water of summer pools. Some hungry genius discovered that overnight baking in stone-lined fire pits broke down the saponins rendering the bulbs edible (“palatable” is a separate issue!). If this were not enough, another genius learned to craft hair brushes out of the heavy, dense fibers gleaned from the tunics or bulb sheaths. Waste not, want not.
Kathy garnished her posie of C. pomeridianum with a blue moppet hydrangea.
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