ARTHROPODIUM strictum

Arthropodium strictum, commonly referred to as the Chocolate Lily is a tufted plant that forms tuberous roots 80cm tall. Blue-violet flowers with a strong chocolate fragrance occur on flower spikes 1.2m high mostly from August to January.

Not widely cultivated it looks great when mass planted.
Useful in rockeries, or sown as informal drifts under taller shrubs, and in native landscapes. Self-sow readily.

Conservation: Threatened Flora in Tasmania.

The underground tubers were eaten by indigenous people. The flowers are also edible and can be used in salads.

Grow naturally in the grassland, woodland and forest of South Australia, Victoria extending into New South Wales and Tasmania

Please Note: Although many of the traditional Bush Food and Medicine plants are now commercially produced in various forms we recommend you re-search these before using them as any form of food or medicines. Some parts of the plant may not be edible or some may need to be prepared before they are safe to eat or use in any way. We do our best to describe their traditional & modern uses. It is the purchaser's responsibility to ensure they are fit for their intended use

Grow notes:

Pre-treatment:  

Smoke is recommended. Get smoke treatments here.

1. Sow in autumn when temperatures are above 18°C
2. Germination should start to occur in around 8-14 weeks days at around 18-22°C.

General note: Seeds of many species are dormant and require specific conditions or pre-treatment for germination.
Do not be too hasty to discard seed that does not germinate, seeds will often lay dormant until the conditions are similar to their natural requirements for germination to occur. Containers put to one side will often surprise long after they were discarded.