Lilium rubellum

Family: Liliaceae

What it is like

Lilium rubellum is a BULB growing to 0.6 m (2ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from May to June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.6

Where it is found

Low mountains, occasionally on alpine slopes, among dwarf shrubs and grass, 750 - 1800 metres in C. Japan.

E. Asia - Japan.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Bulb - cooked. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum).

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

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating:

Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent

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. This bulb is very difficult to establish in Britain because it requires plenty of summer moisture with cold, dry conditions in the winter. It has, however, survived for 50 years in the wild garden at Wisley, where it grows in a moist very acid sandy soil. Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted 12cm deep in a well-drained sandy loam with added leaf mold. 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. The flowers diffuse a rich sweet scent. 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;

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. japonicum rubellum.