Common Name: Hong Kong Lily

General Information

Lilium brownii is a herbaceous perennial bulbiferous plant producing a leafy stem around 70 - 200cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and for use in cosmetics. It is often cultivated in eastern Asia for its edible bulbs and medicinal uses, and is also often grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its fragant flowers[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - central and southern China, Myanmar, Vietnam

Habitat

Sparse forests, thickets, grassy slopes, rocky hillsides along ravines or streams,wastelands around villages; at elevations from 100 - 2,200 metres[]. Loose fertile soil along woodland edges or in grass and thickets[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Lilium brownii is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -25°c when fully dormant[].
Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun[]. Requires a light soil[, ]. Is this species lime-tolerant?[]. Plants prefer a position that s moist in the summer but dry in the winter[].
Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted 20 - 25cm deep[, , ].
Said to be very difficult in cultivation[], this species tolerates temperatures down to about -3°c[]. It grows well at Kew but is not hardy everywhere[].
Self-sterile, the type species does not set seed[]. It is believed that this species is either of hybrid origin or it is a garden form of the true wild species Lilium brownii colchesteri. Wilson[]. It is the sub-species colchesteri that is used medicinally[, ].
The flowers have a soft sweet fragrance. This fragrance is more pronounced in the variety 'Viridulum'[].
The plant does not come into growth until late spring[]. It should be protected against slugs at this time since if the shoot tip is eaten out the bulb will not grow in that year and will lose vigour[].
The edible bulbs are occasionally sold in ethnic markets in San Francisco[] and are a common food item in China[], where the plant is cultivated for edible and medicinal use[].

Edible Uses

Bulb - cooked[, , ]. A pleasant slightly sweet taste[], they are used as a vegetable in much the same way as potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). A starch can be extracted from the bulbs and added to other foods[]. The grated bulb can be added as a thickener to soups etc[]. The globose bulb is usually rather small[]. It is usually from 25 - 40mm in diameter[]. The bulb is made up of many imbricate, fleshy scales, without a tunic[].

The dried flower petals are used as a flavouring in soups[].

Medicinal

The bulb is antitussive, diuretic, carminative, expectorant, febrifuge, pectoral, sedative and tonic[, , ]. A decoction, or the freshly expressed juice, is used in the treatment of coughs with chest pains and haematemesis due to deficiency condition; and is also used to treat anxiety, apprehension, oedema and difficult urination[, ].

Bulbils from the leaf axils are used in the treatment of intestinal disorders[].

The dried and powdered flowers are used as a poultice for bruises, cuts etc[].

The bulbs are harvested after flowering, when the plants begin to wither. They are separated from the plants, the bulbs are exposed to the sun for some days. And when !hey become dryish, !he scales are separated from each o!her and dried in the sun or in ovens[].

Other Uses

An extract of the bulbs is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as an emollient and skin conditioner[].
The juice expressed from the flowers, leaves and stems is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].

Propagation

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[].
Bulblets are formed on the stem just below the soil surface. These should be dug up in the autumn and replanted immediately, preferably in a cold frame for growing on until large enough to plant out into the garden[, ].