Lilium speciosum
| Lilium speciosum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 4' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lilium speciosum
Propagation: Seed - delayed hypogeal germination[1]. Best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in spring[2]. Stored seed will require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being about 2 months long[3]. Grow on in cool shady conditions. Great care should be taken in pricking out the young seedlings, many people 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[4].
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[4].
Cultivation: Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun[4]. Dislikes lime[5]. Prefers a light sandy loam with plenty of leafmold[6]. Best grown in open woodland or amongst dwarf evergreens[7]. Prefers a sunny position[5][2].
The dormant bulbs are fairly hardy and will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -5°c[8].
Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted 25 - 30cm deep[2]. 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[4].
A very ornamental plant[7] it is easily grown[3] but requires a long growing season if it is to do well[4]. The flowers diffuse a powerful sweet honey perfume[9].
Cultivated for its edible bulb in Japan[10]. The sub-species L. speciosum rubrum. Mast. ex Bak. is said to be inedible whilst L. speciosum album. Mast. ex Bak. is said to be acceptable for eating[3]. The variety 'Magnificum' is said to be the best form for growing outdoors in Britain[9].
Plants take 4 years to flower from seed[2].
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[4].
Range: E. Asia - S. China and S. Japan.
Habitat: Shaded and moist places in forests, grassy slopes at elevations of 600 - 900 metres[11].
Edibility: Bulb - cooked[10][12][3][11]. The bulb is about 5cm in diameter[11]. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).
Medicinal: The bulb is used medicinally[11]. No further information is given.
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: L. lancifolium. non Thunb.
Links
References
- ↑ Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society, 1982.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Woodcock, Hubert. Lilies - Their Culture and Management. Country Life, 1935.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Reed, David. Lilies and Related Plants. 1989.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ Fox, Derek. Growing Lilies. Croom Helm, 1985.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Matthews, Victoria. The New Plantsman Volume 1. Royal Horticultural Society, 1994.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.