Herb: White Trumpet Lily


Latin name: Lilium longiflorum


Family: Liliaceae (Lily Family)



Medicinal use of White Trumpet 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 to
August


Scent:
Scented
Bulb

Habitat of the herb:

By the coast, often in pockets of coral rock.

Edible parts of White Trumpet Lily:

Bulb - cooked. Mild flavoured and slightly sweet. A starch is also extracted from the bulb. It can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes(Solanum tuberosum). Young leaves and stems - cooked. Eating the leaves and stems severely harms the vitality of the bulb and is not recommended. Flowers. No further details are given. The flower buds are eaten according to another report.

Other uses of the herb:

An essential oil is obtained from the flowers, used in perfumery.

Propagation of White Trumpet Lily:

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 the herb:

By the coast, often in pockets of coral rock.

Known hazards of Lilium longiflorum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.