Lycoris squamigera
| Lycoris squamigera | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 0.5' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Lycoris squamigera (common name: resurrection lily)
Propagation: The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse and should germinate in the spring[1]. Sow the seed thinly so that it does not need to be disturbed for its first year of growth. Give an occasional liquid feed during the growing season to ensure the plants do not become nutrient deficient. Pot up the small bulbs when the plants become dormant, placing 2 bulbs in each pot. Grow them on for another 2 years in the greenhouse before planting them out when they are dormant.
Division of offsets in the dormant season[1].
Cultivation: Requires a deep well-drained sandy soil rich in organic matter in full sun[1]. The bulb should be planted quite shallowly so that it can ripen well after flowering[2].
Hardy to at least -15°c, the leaves are produced in early spring and persist until late summer[1]. Plants need a warm period in late summer in order to ripen the bulbs and induce flowering in the following year[3].
A very ornamental species, each bulb producing a number of flowering stems in mid to late summer[2]. The flowers are very sweetly scented, the scent pervading the whole garden[2].
Plants are attractive to slugs and need to be protected from them[1].
Very sensitive to root disturbance, the bulbs can take some years to become well established[1].
Range: E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat: Edges of cultivated fields[1].
Edibility: Bulb - cooked. It is used as a source of starch[4][5]. The bulb is 4cm in diameter[1]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The bulb contains toxins and must be leached before it is used for food[4].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.