Babiana

Babiana nervosa

root

⚠️ Toxic look-alike

Never eat this plant unless you are certain it is not its toxic look-alike.

At the Cape, the “tulp” (moraeas), irises with similar corms, are among the most toxic plants in the region: they contain bufadienolides, heart poisons, which kill livestock and can kill people. Babiana has pleated, fan-shaped leaves, hairy to the touch, and funnel-shaped flowers, often blue or mauve, fragrant; tulp generally have a single long, smooth, grooved leaf, and flowers with three large open petals, yellow, orange or salmon. Their poison slows and disrupts the heart within hours. Only dig up corms whose plant you have seen in flower.

If in the slightest doubt, leave it. If you feel unwell after eating it, even several hours later, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or 911.

Small corms tasting of hazelnut, eaten raw or roasted in the ashes in Namaqualand.

Origin: South Africa (Namaqualand, Cape)
Where to find it: In the sands and rocky ground of Namaqualand, which bursts into flower in the southern spring; several babianas are protected there.
Season (United States): August to October
Preparation: The corms are peeled of their fibrous coat, then eaten raw or cooked for about twenty minutes in the ashes.
Molecules: In small amounts, not counted Insoluble fibers
Did you know?: Its name comes from baboons, which dig them up with their fingers to eat them.