Lilium wallichianum
Schult.&Schult.
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(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Description
Lilium wallichianum is a BULB growing to 1.8 m (6ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in flower from August to September, and the seeds ripen from October to November. 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. Boil and roasted as a vegetable. It is usually dried first. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).
Medicinal Uses
Demulcent Pectoral. The dried bulb scales are demulcent. They are used like salep (obtained from various species of orchids, especially Orchis spp.) in the treatment of pectoral complaints.
Distribution
E. Asia - E. Himalayas from Uttar Pradesh to Arunachel Pradesh.
Where It Grows
TROPICAL ASIA: Bhutan, India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Kerala, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh), Nepal, Myanmar (north)
Cultivation
Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun. A stoloniferous plant. 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. A very ornamental plant, it requires greenhouse protection in Zone 7 or colder areas of Britain. It is not suitable for pot cultivation because of its stoloniferous habit. The flowers have a penetrating and spicy perfume. 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 - Immediate epigeal germination. Sow thinly in pots from late winter to early spring in a cold frame. Should germinate in 2 - 4 weeks. 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 in 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.
