Herb: Morning Star Lily


Latin name: Lilium concolor


Synonyms: Lilium pulchellum


Family: Liliaceae (Lily Family)



Medicinal use of Morning Star Lily:

The bulb is carminative, expectorant, pectoral, sedative and tonic. It is taken internally in the treatment of bronchial complaints. The flowers invigorate the blood. They are poulticed onto sores and boils.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Bulb


Height:
60 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
June
to July

Habitat of the herb:

Scrub in pockets of humus on carboniferous limestone and in heavy limey soil, 1500 - 2200 metres. Moist places in forests, thickets, moist meadows, grassy slopes and sunny grassland.

Edible parts of Morning Star Lily:

Bulb - cooked. The bulb is up to 35mm in diameter. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). Young leaves - cooked. Flowers. No more details are given.

Propagation of the herb:

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 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. 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.

Cultivation of Morning Star Lily:

Scrub in pockets of humus on carboniferous limestone and in heavy limey soil, 1500 - 2200 metres. Moist places in forests, thickets, moist meadows, grassy slopes and sunny grassland.

Known hazards of Lilium concolor:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.