Star Flower

Edibility: The corm is edible when cooked, but it is not a common food source.  It has a somewhat bitter taste.

Toxicity:  

While the corm is reportedly edible when cooked, other parts of the plant may contain compounds that can cause mild stomach upset. It's best to err on the side of caution.

Uses:

• Traditional Medicine: Known as a "miracle muti" and "wonder potato" (though "African Potato" is a misapplied name).
  Rootstock traditionally used to treat a wide variety of ailments.
  Weak infusions and decoctions of the corm used as a strengthening tonic and during convalescence.
  Used against tuberculosis and cancer.
  Used for prostate hypertrophy, urinary tract infections, testicular tumours.
  Acts as a laxative and to expel intestinal worms.
  Also used for anxiety, palpitations, depression, and rheumatoid arthritis.
  Fresh cut corms applied to the face by Xhosa women as facial treatments or to treat burns.
  Used for fertility enhancement, general ailments, heartwater, and to prevent abortion in cattle by the Tswana people.
  

• Horticulture:Very attractive, hardy garden plant.
  Drought-tolerant, frost-resistant, and very easy to grow.
  Excellent for a rockery or as a border to flower beds.
  Suitable for container planting.
  Leaves are attractive with their geometric triangular arrangement when not in flower.
  

• Research: Useful as a model organism and as a UV indicator.

Ecology:

• Fire-tolerant, occurring widely in grasslands where fire is part of the ecological regime.

• Dormant during the fire season and resprouts after fire.

• The fibres protect the corm against fire damage.

• Fire promotes the growth of new leaves and can stimulate seed germination.

• Butterflies are attracted to the flowers and are considered pollinators.

Distribution and habitat:

• Occurs in open grassland and woodland.

• Widespread in South Africa in the eastern summer rainfall provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Limpopo, and North West.

• Also occurs in Botswana, Lesotho, eSwatini (Swaziland), and Mozambique.

• Found in a wide range of habitats, including sandy hills on the margins of dune forests, open, rocky grassland, dry, stony, grassy slopes, mountain slopes, and plateaus.

Derivation of name:

• The genus name Hypoxis was taken over by Linnaeus from a name coined by Paul Reneaulme in 1611, meaning "a little sour", referring to the taste of that plant's leaves.

• The species name hemerocallidea refers to its resemblance to plants in the genus Hemerocallis (daylilies).

• It is often misapplied as "African Potato," possibly originating from the Afrikaans term "Afrika-patat," as the corm might remind some of a sweet potato.

Historical aspects:

• Has been used as a traditional medicine for centuries.

• Gained significant public attention from 1997 due to claims of its immune-boosting properties, particularly for HIV sufferers, leading to extensive commercial exploitation.

• Archaeological evidence suggests early humans roasted the rhizomes of some Hypoxis species as long as 170,000 years ago.

Interesting facts:

• This plant is nicknamed the "miracle muti" or "wonder potato," but don't be fooled by the "potato" part – it's actually a corm, which is a different kind of underground storage stem!

• Its bright yellow, star-like flowers are like nature's alarm clock, telling everyone that spring and summer rains are on their way.

• Hypoxis hemerocallidea is super tough! It can handle fires in grasslands by going dormant, and the fibres around its corm act like a natural shield.

Growing tips:

• Grows well in full sun in well-drained soil.

• Drought-tolerant and frost-resistant.

• Propagate from seed or corm division.

• Seeds can be slow to germinate (up to a year), and may benefit from a cold stratification period (6-8 weeks in a refrigerator with vermiculite).

• Corm division is a more rapid and successful propagation method.

• Corms are dormant in winter and should be kept dry. Leaves die down after summer but reappear in late winter.

• Enrich soil with compost or mulch a couple of times a year.