Bamboo Lily
Lilium japonicum

Family: Liliaceae

What it is like

Lilium japonicum is a BULB growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in flower in July, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 1

Where it is found

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

E. Asia - Japan.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

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).

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicine

Rating: 2

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.

Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.

Antitussive: Prevents or relieves coughing.

Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.

Nutritive: A food for convalescents to help restore strength.

Sedative: Gently calms, reducing nervousness, distress and irritation.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun. Grows well in open woodland. Likes plenty of moisture and some shade. Just to totally confuse matters, one report says that this species prefers a poor gravelly loam with plenty of leafmold and some charcoal, in a sunny position. Requires protection from winter rains. The sub-species L. japonicum platyfolium is more vigorous than the type with broader leaves. Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted 15 - 20cm deep. 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 is cultivated for its bulb in Japan and is also a sacred flower in Japanese Shinto rites. 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.

Propagating it: 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.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;

Habit: Bulb

Hardiness: 4-8

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

L. abeanum. L. belladonna. L. krameri. L. makinoi.