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Inca Lily (Bomarea) Wikimedia Commons
Alstroemeriaceae

Inca Lily (Bomarea)

Bomarea

Devotion, climbing aspiration, friendship.

Family
Alstroemeriaceae
Genus
Bomarea
Native to
Central and South America (Andes)
Bloom season
Summer
Type
twining vine
Height
1–6 m climbing
Sunlight
Partial shade
Soil
Rich, moist, well-drained
Water
Regular
Hardiness
8–10
Lifespan
Perennial

Did you know

  • Bomarea is the climbing cousin of alstroemeria — its tubers have been eaten in Andean cuisine for centuries.
  • The pendant clusters of tubular flowers can contain dozens of individual blossoms hanging in a chandelier-like arrangement.
  • Bomarea grows naturally up to elevations of 4,000 m in the Andes, often scrambling through cloud forest vegetation.
  • The genus is named after Jacques-Christophe Valmont de Bomare, an 18th-century French naturalist.
  • Hummingbirds are the chief pollinators, drawn to the bright tubular flowers full of nectar.

Uses

  • Ornamental
  • Edible tubers
  • Cut flowers