Practical
Plants

Lilium auratum

Golden-Rayed Lily

a member of the Lilium genus in the family Liliaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Genus
Lilium
Height
1.8 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

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

Bulb - cooked[10][11]. Sweet and mucilaginous with a mild flavour that makes them acceptable to people who have never tried them before[6][5]. The bulbs are used as a vegetable, and can also be boiled, sweetened, powdered and used in dumplings[5]. Large, they can be up to 17cm in diameter[14][3].

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat
Hills and mountains[13] in scrub or grassy places[15], in volcanic ash or poor gravelly soils, always on steep well-drained slopes[3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - delayed hypogeal germination[2]. Best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in spring[3]. Stored seed will require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being about 2 months long[4]. 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[7]. Root bulbils - dig up in autumn and pot up in a cold frame for the first year[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[7].

Cultivation

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

Requires a well-drained lime-free peaty soil in a warm position with its roots in the shade[1][9][12][15][7]. Enjoys abundant moisture so long as the soil is very well drained[12]. Prefers an open woodland position or growing amongst dwarf evergreens[1]. The plant deteriorates rapidly if grown in much shade[3]. Fertilizers, rich soils and lime are fatal to this plant[3]. Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted about 25 - 30 cm deep[3][7]. 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[7]. A very ornamental plant[1], but short-lived in cultivation[7]. It grows better in warmer climates than Britain[15]. The variety 'Platyphyllum' has larger flowers than the type and is more amenable to adverse conditions[8]. The flowers have a penetrating spicy aroma[8]. Cultivated for its edible bulb in Japan[6][4]. The plant should be protected against slugs in early spring. If the shoot tip is eaten out the bulb will not grow in that year and will lose vigour[7].

References

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. ? The Plantsman. Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society 1982-00-00

    ↩

  3. Woodcock. and Coutts. Lilies - Their Culture and Management. Country Life 1935-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  4. RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  7. 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

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

    ↩1↩2

  9. Knight. F. P. Plants for Shade. Royal Horticultural Society. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-900629-78-9

    ↩

  10. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩

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

    ↩

  12. Fox. D. Growing Lilies. Croom Helm 1985-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  13. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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