Lilium pumilum
| Lilium pumilum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lilium pumilum (common name: coral 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: An easily cultivated plant[2], preferring an open light soil with plenty of moisture in the growing season[4][5], though it is tolerant of most soil types[6]. Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position[5][3].
Stem rooting[4], the bulbs should be planted 10 - 12cm 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].
Plants are often short-lived[7] and often die after setting a lot of seed[4][5].
The flowers have a soft, orange-like perfume[6].
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 - E. China to Siberia.
Habitat: Dry open stony southern slopes in mountainous areas and on foothills[4]. Grassland and low scrub in shallow humus-rich soils, 400 - 900 metres[7].
Edibility: Bulb - cooked[8][9][10][11]. The bulb is up to 3cm in diameter[12]. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).
Medicinal: The bulb is antiasthmatic, antitussive, expectorant, sedative and tonic (nutritive)[13][14]. It is used in the treatment of coughs, haemoptysis, insomnia and fidgetiness in the later stage of febrile disease[14].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: L. tenuifolium.
Links
References
- ↑ Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society, 1982.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Reed, David. Lilies and Related Plants. 1989.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Fox, Derek. Growing Lilies. Croom Helm, 1985.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Woodcock, Hubert. Lilies - Their Culture and Management. Country Life, 1935.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Bulbs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Kariyone, Tatsuo. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.