Lilium brownii
Hong Kong Lily
a member of the Lilium genus in the family Liliaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Bulb - cooked[15][1][5]. A pleasant slightly sweet taste[8], they are used as a vegetable in much the same way as potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). A starch can be extracted from the bulbs and added to other foods[8]. The grated bulb can be added as a thickener to soups etc[8]. The bulb is usually rather small[12]. The dried flower petals are used as a flavouring in soups[8].
- Product or use
- Condiment
- Plant part
- Flowers
- Plant part
- Root
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The bulb is antitussive, diuretic, carminative, expectorant, febrifuge, pectoral, sedative and tonic[4][6][10]. A decoction is used in the treatment of coughs and haematemesis due to deficiency condition, anxiety, apprehension, oedema and difficult urination[4]. Bulbils from the leaf axils are used in the treatment of intestinal disorders[10]. The dried and powdered flowers are used as a poultice for bruises, cuts etc[10].
- Product or use
- Antitussive
- Product or use
- Carminative
- Product or use
- Diuretic
- Product or use
- Expectorant
- Product or use
- Febrifuge
- Product or use
- Pectoral
- Product or use
- Poultice
- Product or use
- Sedative
- Product or use
- Tonic
Environment
- Range
- E. Asia - Southern China from Hong Kong, to Burma
- Habitat
- Loose fertile soil along woodland edges or in grass and thickets[4]. Rock crevices, amongst coarse grass and scrub below 1,500 metres[12].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 5+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - immediate epigeal germination[2]. Sow thinly in pots from late winter to early spring in a cold frame. Should germinate in 2 - 4 weeks[5]. Great care should be taken in pricking out the young seedlings, many people prefer to 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[9]. 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[9]. Bulblets are formed on the stem just below the soil surface. These should be dug up in the autumn and replanted immediately, preferably in a cold frame for growing on until large enough to plant out into the garden[3][5].
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun[9]. Requires a light soil[13][14]. Is this species lime-tolerant?[9]. Plants prefer a position that s moist in the summer but dry in the winter[12]. Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted 20 - 25cm deep[13][14][3]. Said to be very difficult in cultivation[14], this species tolerates temperatures down to about -3°c[12]. It grows well at Kew but is not hardy everywhere[3]. Self-sterile, the type species does not set seed[14]. It is believed that this species is either of hybrid origin or it is a garden form of the true wild species L. brownii colchesteri. Wils.[3]. It is the sub-species colchesteri that is used medicinally[6][10]. The flowers have a soft sweet fragrance. This fragrance is more pronounced in the variety 'Viridulum'[11]. The plant does not come into growth until late spring[12]. It should be protected against slugs at this time since if the shoot tip is eaten out the bulb will not grow in that year and will lose vigour[9]. The edible bulbs are occasionally sold in ethnic markets in San Francisco[8] and are a common food item in China[7].
References
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
? The Plantsman. Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society 1982-00-00
Woodcock. and Coutts. Lilies - Their Culture and Management. Country Life 1935-00-00
? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.
Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985-00-00
Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938-00-00
Fox. D. Growing Lilies. Croom Helm 1985-00-00
Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202