Herb: Bamboo Lily


Latin name: Lilium japonicum platyfolium


Family: Liliaceae (Lily Family)



Medicinal use of Bamboo Lily:

The bulb is antiasthmatic, antitussive, expectorant, sedative and tonic (nutritive). It is used in the treatment of coughs, haemoptysis, insomnia and fidgetiness in the later stage of febrile disease.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Bulb


Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
July

Habitat of the herb:

Thickets on hills and low mountains in rich loose woodland soil, often amongst dwarf bamboo, 300 - 900 metres.

Edible parts of Bamboo Lily:

Bulb - cooked. It contains about 18% starch. A slightly bitter taste. It can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes(Solanum tuberosum).

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - delayed hypogeal germination. Best sown as soon as 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. 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.

Cultivation of Bamboo Lily:

Thickets on hills and low mountains in rich loose woodland soil, often amongst dwarf bamboo, 300 - 900 metres.

Known hazards of Lilium japonicum platyfolium:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.