African Potato – 5 Seeds

African Potato Seeds. Hypoxis hemerocallidea, the African star grass or African potato, is a medicinal plant in the Hypoxidaceae family. It can be found in open grassland and woodland, and is widespread in South Africa in the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo. It also occurs in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland.

This plant has been used as a traditional medicine for centuries and today it is a household name in South Africa and probably the best known muti plant in the country.

Common names include: star flower, yellow star (Eng.); sterblom, geelsterretjie, gifbol (Afr.); moli kharatsa, lotsane (S Sotho); inkomfe, inkomfe enkulu (Zulu), inongwe, ilabatheka, ixhalanxa, ikhubalo lezithunzela (Xhosa), tshuka (Tsw.).

It is a beautiful tuberous perennial, with straplike leaves and yellow star-shaped flowers. It dies back almost completely during winter and its corm is dormant during this time and requires the soil to be kept dry. Leaves reappear in late winter or early spring. The leaves are up to 400 mm long and the lower surface of the leaves is densely hairy with white hairs. Leaves appear above ground in spring before the flowers. The flowers are short-lived and close at midday. Flowers open sequentially from the base to the apex. Usually 1-3 flowers are open at the same time, thus encouraging cross-pollination.

Traditional Benefits

It is used in the treatment of the following:

• Urinary tract disorders including bladder infections (cystitis)
• Prostate problems including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer, other cancers and lung disease.
• It is also used for tuberculosis, arthritis, and a skin condition called psoriasis, as well as for delaying AIDS symptoms in people who are HIV-positive.
• Some people apply African wild potato directly to the skin to promote wound healing.

Growing African Potato Plant

Indoor Sowing: Not Recommended.

Direct Sowing: Spring.

• It is drought-tolerant and frost-resistant.
• It grows well in full sun in well-drained soil.
• Direct sow the seed in sandy soil in Spring. Space the seeds 15cm apart and cover with a thin layer of soil and water well.
• A lot of patience is required, as the seeds have a very long dormancy period. It can take up to 1 year or more for the seeds to germinate.
• The plant is fire-tolerant, naturally occurring in grasslands where fires are frequent. The growth of new leaves is stimulated by the fire, as is the germination of the seeds. Therefore using a smoke primer disc may possibly help to shorten the germination period. (This is merely a suggestion and does not guarantee that it will result in a faster germination period )