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Chlorogalum pomeridianum - (DC.)Kunth.

Soap Lily

Author	(DC.)Kunth.	Botanical references	71, 200
Family	Hyacinthaceae	Genus	Chlorogalum
Synonyms	Loathoe pomeridiana - DC.
Known Hazards	The bulb contains saponins. Although fairly toxic, these substances are very poorly absorbed by the body and most of them simply pass straight through. Saponins are found in a number of common foods, including many beans. They are destroyed by thorough cooking[K]. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K].
Range	South-western N. America - California.
Habitat	Dry open hills and plains, occasionally in woods, below 1500 metres[71].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 2m by 0.3m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds; East Wall By; South Wall By; West Wall By;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root.

Bulb - cooked[2, 71, 94, 105]. A slow baking in its skin will remove any soapiness in the taste[92]. The bulb should be peeled before being eaten since the skin is fibrous[183]. The bulb can also be peeled and then boiled, though the water it is cooked in should be thrown away[94]. Although wholesome and nutritious when thoroughly cooked, the raw bulb should not be eaten because it contains saponins[K]. The bulb is very large and can be up to 15cm in diameter[200]. Young leaves - raw or cooked[105]. Used as a potherb when harvested in the spring, they are very sweet when slowly baked[92, 183, 257].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antidandruff; Antirheumatic; Antiseptic; Diuretic; Laxative; Poultice; Skin.

Soap lily bulbs contain saponins, a medicinally active ingredient that is of particular value as an antiseptic wash. Saponins are somewhat toxic (see the notes above on toxicity) and so any internal use of this plant should be carried out with great care[K]. The bulb is antiseptic, carminative, diuretic and laxative[94, 257]. A decoction has been used to treat wind in the stomach[257]. Externally, the bulbs have been rubbed on rheumatic joints[257]. 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[213, 257]. A poultice of the baked bulbs has been used as an antiseptic on skin sores[257].

Other Uses

Adhesive; Fibre; Soap.

A glue can be made from the sap that is expressed from baking bulbs[92, 94, 257]. The bulbs can be boiled into a liquid starch which can then be used to twined baskets to close the interstices so that seeds do not fall through[257]. A soap is obtained from the bulb[21, 46, 61, 169]. The bulb is stripped of its outer fibrous covering and rubbed on clothes or hands in water to produce a lather[92, 95]. It is very good for delicate fabrics and has a gentle affect upon the skin[92, K]. The bulb can also be dried for later use, it can then be grated as required and used as soap flakes[92]. A fibre obtained from the outer covering of the bulb is used to make small brushes or as a filling for mattresses etc[92, 94, 169, 257].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any reasonably good well-drained soil[1, 42]. Prefers a rich well-drained moisture retentive soil[164]. Tolerates partial shade[164]. Dislikes dry soils according to one report[200] but plants grow in dry soils in the wild[71]. Plants are frost hardy but they come into new growth in the autumn and so need to be grown in a warm sheltered position, especially in colder areas of the country[188]. The bulbs can be damaged by heavy frosts[169]. The roots are brittle so any transplanting should be done with care[169].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or summer 2mm deep in a peat/sand mix. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 6 months at 15°c, but it can be slow and erratic. Sow the seed thinly so that the seedlings do not need to be thinned and grow them on in the pot for their first year of growth, giving an occasional liquid feed o ensure that they do not become mineral deficient. When dormant, pot up 3 young bulbs per pot and grow them on for at least another 2 years before planting them out into their permanent positions in the spring[164]. Division of offsets when the bulb dies down in late summer. Larger offsets can be planted out direct into their permanent positions but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on for at least a year in the greenhouse.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Soap Plants.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.

[92] Balls. E. K. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press 1975 ISBN 0-520-00072-2
A nice readable book.

[94] Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962 ISBN 0-911010-54-8
Useful wild plants in Western N. America. A pocket guide.

[95] Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976 ISBN 0-486-23310-3
Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden. 0
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Chlorogalum pomeridianum

lacusXXharo Fri May 19 2006

I liked your article, it gave alot of information I needed. Please note that the "Soap Lily" as you described is also Amole, Soap Plant, and Soap Root. It was also used by the Miwok as a fish poison (I can't remeber if you said this though). It would be placed in water where alot of fish were, the chemical within the plant would shock the fish allowing the Miwok to gather the fish that floated to the top of the water without so much hassle. You can't do that now with Soap root, it's illegal, but that's what the Miwok did. This information was by Nancy Kissam from Kule Loklo in California.

Chlorogalum pomeridianum

Charles Gitchell Jr Sun Feb 11 2007

Still used for Poison Oak just peel off a peace and rub it on the Poison Oak. It needs to be a fresh peace do this until the Poison Oak Go's away Charles Gitchell Jr. Chalanchawi South Western Pomo in California

Chlorogalum pomeridianum

Riki Thu Jan 31 2008

Charles, I believe we are cousins. My father is Lynn Gitchell. My email is sugarcaine208@yahoo.com. -Riki

Chlorogalum pomeridianum

mileycyrus@yahoo.com Thu Nov 19 2009

me too! my emial is mileycyrus@yahoo.com

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