PlantFiles: Soap Plant, Amole Lily
Chlorogalum pomeridianum

These grow wild in my yard and garden, the flowers aren't particularly showy, but they're nicer than some of the weeds that might grow otherwise - and appear to have some useful properties. I've transplanted a few when doing landscaping. They're tough enough to grow in areas with a moderate amount of foot-traffic, and seem to do a good job of preventing erosion on my hillside.

Star-like white 1" flowers with six narrow, purple-veined, recurved petals, in large airy clusters to 1-3 feet tall. The flowers don't open until late in the afternoon.Which got them called 4 o'clocks by some, thus another reason for Latin names.Both the Indians and the early pioneers used it as a soap.They stripped the outer coating from the bulb and used the crushed pulp to wash with. It makes an excellent lather. As a shampoo,it leaves the hair soft and silky. Baking destroys the soapy character of the bulbs, making them edible. The spring shoots are very sweet when cooked. The juice from the baking bulbs makes good glue. Wild pigs like them. They dig them up and eat them.(Or maybe they take a bath with them). The large bulbs are covered with a thick, fibrous, coconut-like husk, which was used for brushes by the Indians.Also used as a poison oak remedy.