natural herbs
Lilium medeoloides

Herb latin name: Lilium medeoloides

Synonyms: Lilium avenaceum

Family: Liliaceae (Lily Family)

Edible parts of Lilium medeoloides:

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).

Description of the plant:

Plant:

Bulb

Height:

75 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:

July

Habitat of the herb:

Damp woods and meadows, occasionally to the sub-alpine zone, in N. and C. Japan. Forests, subalpine grasslands, limestone and serpentine areas in Zhejiang province, China.

Propagation of Lilium medeoloides:

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.

Cultivation of the herb: