Practical
Plants

Fritillaria camschatcensis

Kamchatka Lily

a member of the Fritillaria genus in the family Liliaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Height
0.45 m
Spread
0.1 m
Fertility
Flies
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Flies

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Bulb - raw, cooked or dried for later use[9][17][2][8]. A staple food in areas where it grows wild[7], when cooked it tastes like baked chestnuts[19]. One report says that the bulbs have a slightly bitter taste, even after cooking[15]. The best-tasting bulbs are said to come from coastal areas where the plants are occasionally covered with salt water[14]. A pudding is made by mixing the bulbs with the fruit of Empetrum nigrum[8]. The bulb is also dried and ground into a powder, then used as a flour or starch for making breads and soups[8]. The bulb is best if harvested in the autumn[6], it resembles a cluster of cooked rice grains[11]. The green seedpods can be eaten raw or cooked. They are somewhat bitter[6].

Plant part
Root
Plant part
Seedpod

Environment

Range
Northern N. America - Alaska, to Siberia.
Habitat
Moist areas from sea level to 600 metres[18] in open woods and sub-alpine meadows[20].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in the spring[1]. Protect from frost[3]. Stored seed should be sown as soon as possible and can take a year or more to germinate[3]. Sow the seed quite thinly to avoid the need to prick out the seedlings. Once they have germinated, give them an occasional liquid feed to ensure that they do not suffer mineral deficiency. Once they die down at the end of their second growing season, divide up the small bulbs, planting 2 - 3 to an 8cm deep pot. Grow them on for at least another year in light shade in the greenhouse before planting them out whilst dormant. Division of offsets in August[1]. The larger bulbs can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, but it is best to pot up the smaller bulbs and grow them on in a cold frame for a year before planting them out in the autumn. Bulb scales[4].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A woodland plant, preferring a moraine or rock garden[1]. Easily grown in a light moist but well-drained sandy woodland soil[16][4][10]. Prefers a moist peaty soil and partial shade and must not be allowed to become dry[20]. Another report says that it prefers a sunny position[16] whilst yet another says that it succeeds in full sun or light shade in a rich soil[10]. The plants often grow close to the sea and survive periodic inundation with salt water[15]. The dormant bulb is very hardy and has withstood soil temperatures down to -20°c, though the embryonic flower shoot will be damaged at temperatures around -15°c[12]. A very ornamental plant[1], it is very variable in size and flower colour[20]. The flowers are sweetly scented[13]. Plants flower within 3 - 5 years from seed[5].

References

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

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  3. Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  6. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2

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

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  8. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  9. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  11. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

    ↩

  12. Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994-00-00 ISBN 1352-4186

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  13. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

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  14. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

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  15. Turner. N. J. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples UBC Press. Vancouver. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7748-0533-1

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  17. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  18. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

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  19. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

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  20. Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30253-1

    ↩1↩2↩3

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