Lilium nanum
Taxonomy and growth
Uses
Edible uses
Bulb - cooked. The bulb is up to 23mm in diameter[4]. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).
- Plant part
- Root
Environment
- Range
- E. Asia - Himalayas to W. China
- Habitat
- Open grassy, rocky hillsides, amongst dwarf rhododendron shrubs, 3300 - 4500 metres[5]. Forest margins, thickets, grassy slopes and alpine grasslands, 3500 - 4500 metres in western China[4].
- 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
Seed - immediate epigeal germination[1]. Sow thinly in pots from late winter to early spring in a cold frame. Should germinate in 2 - 4 weeks[2]. 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[3]. 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[3].
Cultivation
Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun[3]. This species grows well in areas such as Scotland with cool summers, it dislikes areas with warm summers[5]. 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[3]. 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[3].
References
? The Plantsman. Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society 1982-00-00
RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30253-1