Practical
Plants

Clintonia umbellulata

Speckled Wood Lily

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.2 m
Spread
0.2 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked[9][2][4]. Harvested in spring before they fully unfurl, they have a cucumber flavour[10]. Older leaves can be cooked[10].

Plant part
Leaves

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - New York to New Jersey, south to Georgia and Tennessee.
Habitat
Rich woods[8].
Light
partial sun
Shade tolerance
permanent shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the spring[6]. Stored seed should be sown in late winter or early spring in a cold frame[3]. It sometimes germinates within 1 - 3 months at 15°c, but may take a year. The seed should be completely separated from the fruit and should only just be covered by soil[3][6]. If the seed has been sown thinly enough, then it is possible to leave the seedlings in the pot for their first growing season, dividing them after they become dormant. Make sure to give them liquid feeds at intervals through the spring and summer. Otherwise prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Plant out in late spring or early summer at the beginning of their second or third years growth. Division in spring as new growth is just commencing[6].

Cultivation

Prefers a damp peaty sandy soil in a cool damp shady position[1][7][6]. Requires a moist neutral to acid soil[6]. Succeeds in acid clay soils[5]. Dormant plants are hardy to at least -25°c, but the new growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts[5]. Plants only produce their fruit in warm seasons in Britain[6]. They have shortly-creeping underground stems and form dense patches[5].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  5. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  7. Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938-00-00

    ↩

  8. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  9. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  10. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩1↩2

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