Golden-Rayed Lily
Lilium auratum

Family: Liliaceae

What it is like

Lilium auratum is a BULB growing to 1.8 m (6ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from August to September, and the seeds ripen from September to October. 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): 1.8

Where it is found

Hills and mountains in scrub or grassy places, in volcanic ash or poor gravelly soils, always on steep well-drained slopes.

E. Asia - Japan.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Bulb - cooked. Sweet and mucilaginous with a mild flavour that makes them acceptable to people who have never tried them before. The bulbs are used as a vegetable, and can also be boiled, sweetened, powdered and used in dumplings. Large, they can be up to 17cm in diameter.

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

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating:

Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent

How it is grown

Requires a well-drained lime-free peaty soil in a warm position with its roots in the shade. Enjoys abundant moisture so long as the soil is very well drained. Prefers an open woodland position or growing amongst dwarf evergreens. The plant deteriorates rapidly if grown in much shade. Fertilizers, rich soils and lime are fatal to this plant. Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted about 25 - 30 cm 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, but short-lived in cultivation. It grows better in warmer climates than Britain. The variety 'Platyphyllum' has larger flowers than the type and is more amenable to adverse conditions. The flowers have a penetrating spicy aroma. Cultivated for its edible bulb in Japan. The plant should be protected against 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. Root bulbils - dig up in autumn and pot up in a cold frame for the first year. 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;

Habit: Bulb

Hardiness: 5-9

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

L. dexteri.