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Chlorogalum pomeridianum

Chlorogalum pomeridianum (DC.) Kunth

Wavyleaf Soap Plant, Wavyleaf Soap-plant

Liliaceae (Lily Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: CHPO3

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

Delicate, star-like, white flowers in a large, freely and openly branched cluster.

By day this plant appears ungainly, the branches stark and unattractive, but toward evening, or on cloudy days, the delicate flowers open, resembling thistledown caught among the twigs. Native Americans crushed the plant's bulbs and added water to produce a lather for cleaning clothing and baskets. They also roasted bulbs to produce a substance used to glue feathers to arrow shafts and to treat rashes caused by Poison Oak.

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Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 6 feet tall when flowering.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Green , Purple
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug
Bloom Notes: White with green or purple midveins.

Distribution

USA: CA , OR
Native Distribution: Southwestern Oregon south to southern California.
Native Habitat: Dry open hills and plains, often in open brush or woods.

Benefit

Use Food: Young leaves consumed by Native Americans.
Use Medicinal: Crushed bulbs applied to rashes from Poison Ivy.
Use Other: Native Americans crushed the plants' bulbs and added water to produce a lather for cleaning clothing and baskets, also using the liquid as a fish poison. They roasted the bulbs to produce a substance used to glue feathers to arrow shafts. Fibers were extracted from older bulb sheaths to make bristles for brushes.
Interesting Foliage: yes

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden - Santa Barbara, CA
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Bibliography

Bibref 1218 - Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources (2006) Anderson, M. Kat

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
Webref 37 - Calscape (2019) California Native Plant Society
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 36 - Jepson eFlora (2019) The Jepson Herbarium, University of California, Berkeley
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Chlorogalum pomeridianum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Chlorogalum pomeridianum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Chlorogalum pomeridianum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-04-11
Research By: TWC Staff

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