Practical
Plants

Lilium distichum

a member of the Lilium genus in the family Liliaceae.

No photo available

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[5]. The bulb can be up to 4cm in diameter[7]. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). Young leaves and buds[1][5]. No more details are given.

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
E. Asia - Korea, Manchuria.
Habitat
Moist and shady broad-leaved woodlands[8][3]. Forested slopes, forest margins, hillsides along streams; 200 - 1800 metres in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces[7].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
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[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].

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[6]. Grows well in open woodland, preferring a shady position[3]. Stem rooting, plant bulbs 10 - 12cm deep[3]. 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[6]. Closely allied to L. tsingtauense[6]. 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. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

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

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.

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

    ↩1↩2

  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. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩1↩2

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

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