Lilium longiflorum
| Lilium longiflorum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lilium longiflorum (common name: white trumpet lily)
Propagation: Seed - immediate epigeal germination[1]. Sow thinly in pots from late winter to early spring in a cold frame. Should germinate in 2 - 4 weeks[2]. Great care should be taken in pricking out the young seedlings, many people prefer to leave them in the seed pot until they die down at the end of their second years growth. This necessitates sowing the seed thinly and using a reasonably fertile sowing medium. The plants will also require regular feeding when in growth. Divide the young bulbs when they are dormant, putting 2 - 3 in each pot, and grow them on for at least another year before planting them out into their permanent positions when the plants are dormant[K].
Division with care in the autumn once the leaves have died down. Replant immediately[3].
Bulb scales can be removed from the bulbs in early autumn. If they are kept in a warm dark place in a bag of moist peat, they will produce bulblets. These bulblets can be potted up and grown on in the greenhouse until they are large enough to plant out[3].
Cultivation: Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun[3]. Lime tolerant[3]., plants grow well in limestone soils[4]. Plants deteriorate rapidly if grown in deep shade[5].
A very ornamental plant[6] it is often cultivated for the cut flower trade[4]. It is only hardy outdoors in the mildest areas of Britain and even there needs to be grown in a warm sheltered position with protection from early frosts[5]. The dormant bulbs will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -5°c[7]. It can be grown as an annual, the plants can flower in 6 months from seed[5].
The flowers diffuse a pleasant jasmine-like perfume[8].
Hand pollination is required in order to ensure fertilization[5].
Stem rooting, plant the bulbs 20cm deep[5]. Early to mid autumn is the best time to plant out the bulbs in cool temperate areas, in warmer areas they can be planted out as late as late autumn[3].
The plant should be protected against rabbits and slugs in early spring. If the shoot tip is eaten out the bulb will not grow in that year and will lose vigour[3].
Range: E. Asia - Southern Japan, in the Ryukyu Islands.
Habitat: By the coast, often in pockets of coral rock[5].
Edibility: Bulb - cooked[9]. Mild flavoured and slightly sweet[10]. A starch is also extracted from the bulb[11][10]. It can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes(Solanum tuberosum).
Young leaves and stems - cooked[11][9][10]. Eating the leaves and stems severely harms the vitality of the bulb and is not recommended.
Flowers[10]. No further details are given. The flower buds are eaten according to another report[9].
Medicinal: The bulb is antiasthmatic, antitussive, expectorant, sedative and tonic (nutritive)[12][13]. It is used in the treatment of coughs, haemoptysis, insomnia and fidgetiness in the later stage of febrile disease[13].
Usage: An essential oil is obtained from the flowers, used in perfumery[14][15][16].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society, 1982.
- ↑ Reed, David. Lilies and Related Plants. 1989.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2. Pan Books, London, 1998.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Woodcock, Hubert. Lilies - Their Culture and Management. Country Life, 1935.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Matthews, Victoria. The New Plantsman Volume 1. Royal Horticultural Society, 1994.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kariyone, Tatsuo. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.