Lilium medeoloides
A.Gray.
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(c) Marco Mussita, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Marco Mussita
Description
Lilium medeoloides is a BULB growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in flower in July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Edible Uses
Bulb - cooked. The bulb is about 25mm in diameter. Used in soups or as a porridge. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).
Distribution
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Where It Grows
TEMPERATE ASIA: Russian Federation (Kurile Islands, Habarovskij kraj, Amur, Kamcatskij kraj, Magadanskaja oblast, Sakhalin), China (Zhejiang Sheng), Korea, Japan (Hokkaidô, Honshu)
Cultivation
Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun. Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted 7 - 12cm deep in practically pure leaf mould with plenty of grit added. 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. Closely related to L. distichum and L. tsingtauense. 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.
Propagation
Seed - delayed hypogeal germination according to one report, whilst two others suggest that it might be immediate hypogeal germination. If it is delayed then it is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in spring. Stored seed will require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being about 2 months long. If it is immediate then a late winter to early spring sowing should germinate in 2 - 4 weeks 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. Division with care in the autumn once the leaves have died down. Replant immediately. 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.
