Practical
Plants

Lilium pomponium

a member of the Lilium genus in the family Liliaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Genus
Lilium
Height
1.2 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][7][10][4]. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
Europe - S. France to N. Italy.
Habitat
Rocky hillsides[9] on steep limestone screes[11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 4+
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 - autumnal epigeal germination[2]. Best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in spring[4]. Stored seed will require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being about 2 months long. 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 in 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]. Prefers calcareous soils but tolerates acid conditions[8]. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a warm sunny position[8][11][3], requiring a hot flowering and ripening season if it is to grow well in following years[6]. Plant the bulbs 12 - 15cm 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]. A very ornamental plant[1]. 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

  4. RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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