Practical
Plants

Lilium candidum

Madonna Lily

a member of the Lilium genus in the family Liliaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Genus
Lilium
Height
1 m
Spread
0.25 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

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

Bulb - cooked. The raw bulb contains an acrid principle, but this is destroyed by drying or thorough heating[10]. When cooked the bulb is pulpy, sweet and sugary[10]. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).

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 Madonna lily has a long history of herbal use, though it is seldom employed in modern herbalism because of its scarcity[7]. The bulb and the flowers are astringent, highly demulcent, emmenagogue, emollient and expectorant[10][15][7]. The plant is mainly used externally, being applied as a poultice to tumours, ulcers, external inflammations etc[10][7]. The bulb is harvested in August and can be used fresh or dried[10][7]. The flowers are harvested when fully open and used fresh for making juice, ointments or tinctures[7]. The pollen has been used in the treatment of epilepsy[8].

Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Demulcent
Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Emollient
Product or use
Expectorant

Material uses

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

An essential oil from the flowers is used in perfumery[10][14].

Product or use
Essential

Environment

Range
S.W. Asia. Naturalized in Europe around the Mediterranean.
Habitat
Rocky slopes and in scrub to 600 metres[13][16].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
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[4]. 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[6]. 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[6]. 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][4]. The formation of bulbils on the stem can be induced by either removing the stem at flowering time and layering it just below the soil surface, or by removing all the flowers before they open.

Cultivation

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

Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich fertile loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun[16][6]. Prefers a sunny position[3] but also succeeds in shade[4]. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Grows well in acid[11] and limy soils[10][11][12][16], though it prefers a limey soil[6]. A very ornamental plant[1][15]. It is seen as a symbol of purity and in Christian tradition is devoted to the Virgin Mary, in pre-Christian times it was sacred to Juno, the Goddess of heaven[7]. The flowers have a scent of heather honey[9]. The Madonna lily is generally very hardy and easy to grow[3] but it is unpredictable and does not grow or flower well in all gardens[16][7]. It is also susceptible to botrytis[3]. Only just cover the bulb with soil[12][6]. It is best to leave the clumps undisturbed since they resent being moved[3][7], but if you need to transplant then this is best done in late August to early September, certainly no later than mid-October[3]. Plants produce a basal rosette of over-wintering leaves in the autumn[6], these die off as the plant comes into flower[5]. The plant should be protected against rabbits and slugs in early spring. If the shoot tip is eaten out the bulb will not grow in that year and will lose vigour[6].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

  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. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

  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

  7. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  8. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  13. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩

  15. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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