Practical
Plants

Lilium rubellum

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Liliaceae
Genus
Lilium
Height
0.6 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

Bulb - cooked[2][6]. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).

Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat
Low mountains, occasionally on alpine slopes[9], among dwarf shrubs and grass, 750 - 1800 metres in C. Japan[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - delayed hypogeal germination[3]. 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[5]. 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[7]. 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[7].

Cultivation

Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun[7]. This bulb is very difficult to establish in Britain because it requires plenty of summer moisture with cold, dry conditions in the winter[8]. It has, however, survived for 50 years in the wild garden at Wisley, where it grows in a moist very acid sandy soil[10]. Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted 12cm deep in a well-drained sandy loam with added leaf mold[4]. 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[7]. A very ornamental plant[1]. The flowers diffuse a rich sweet scent[8]. 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[7].

References

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

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.

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

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  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

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

    ↩1↩2

  9. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

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

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