Lilium wallichianum
| Lilium wallichianum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 6' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lilium wallichianum
Propagation: Seed - Immediate epigeal germination[1]. Sow thinly in pots from late winter to early spring in a cold frame[2]. Should germinate in 2 - 4 weeks. 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 in 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].
A stoloniferous plant[3]. 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].
A very ornamental plant[4], it requires greenhouse protection in Zone 7 or colder areas of Britain[3]. It is not suitable for pot cultivation because of its stoloniferous habit[3]. The flowers have a penetrating and spicy perfume[5].
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. Himalayas from Uttar Pradesh to Arunachel Pradesh.
Habitat: Open slopes and grassland, 1200 - 2000 metres[6]. Moist shady places at elevations of 1100 - 2000 metres in Nepal[7].
Edibility: Bulb - cooked. Boil and roasted as a vegetable[7]. It is usually dried first[8]. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).
Medicinal: The dried bulb scales are demulcent[9]. They are used like salep (obtained from various species of orchids, especially Orchis spp.) in the treatment of pectoral complaints[9].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Fall-Late Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society, 1982.
- ↑ Woodcock, Hubert. Lilies - Their Culture and Management. Country Life, 1935.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg and Adam Stainton. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.