Family: Liliaceae (The Lily family)

Scientific name:  Ornithogalum caudatum (Aiton) Maire

Origin:  South Africa. Altitude (min/max): 0/300 m

Common English Names include: False Sea Onion, Pregnant Onion seeds Pregnant Onion, False Sea Onion German Onion

Synonyms:  Ornithogalum longibracteatum Jacq.

Ornithogalum caudatum, False Sea Onionis
This is a rather curious bulbous plant and unlike an true onion however, the bulb grows above ground, reaching up to 10 cm in diameter.  Incidentally, the “onions” are decidedly NON-edible!

Cultivation: It is an easy and adaptable plant to grow and it is well suited for containers growing happily in a pot for many years.  It makes a good but odd houseplant or specimen. Prefers some direct sun but will scorch in hot, sunny, dry locations. In the greenhouse, use a suffice cactus soil with some peat (a soil that retains water yet drains well). The plants are allowed to dry slightly in-between waterings. If the plants are allowed to dry too much, they will go dormant. During the winter months, the plants are allowed to go dormant and are stored in the cold storage until spring. Temperature: Reportedly hardy down to -5°C.

Propagation: Division, seeds, offsets (bulbils). Produces somatic embryos (bulbils) on the bulb scale tissue, visible as small bumps (pregnancies) on the surface of overlying bulb scales in mature specimens. These eventually fall off when outer scale layers disintegrate or split. The bulblets then root and establish new plantlets. Copious seed is also produced and germinate easily.  It is best to propagate seeds in the spring through summer in a mixture of moist peat and perlite. Cover the pot and plant with a plastic bag secured by a rubber band to prevent the moisture from escaping. Place in indirect sunlight or under a fluorescent light. Repot in its regular mix after it has been growing for a while. After dividing plant or removing offsets, pot it in its regular potting mix.