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Common Name: Speckled Wood Lily

General Information

Clintonia umbellulata is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.20 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern N. America - New York to New Jersey, south to Georgia and Tennessee.

Habitat

Rich cove hardwood forests at elevations of 200 - 1000 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.20 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a damp peaty sandy soil in a cool damp shady position[, , ]. Requires a moist neutral to acid soil[]. Succeeds in acid clay soils[].
Dormant plants are hardy to at least -25°c, but the new growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts[].
Plants only produce their fruit in warm seasons in Britain[]. They have shortly-creeping underground stems and form dense patches[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked[, , ]. Harvested in spring before they fully unfurl, they have a cucumber flavour[]. Older leaves can be cooked[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the spring[]. Stored seed should be sown in late winter or early spring in a cold frame[]. It sometimes germinates within 1 - 3 months at 15°c, but may take a year. The seed should be completely separated from the fruit and should only just be covered by soil[, ]. If the seed has been sown thinly enough, then it is possible to leave the seedlings in the pot for their first growing season, dividing them after they become dormant. Make sure to give them liquid feeds at intervals through the spring and summer. Otherwise prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Plant out in late spring or early summer at the beginning of their second or third years growth.
Division in spring as new growth is just commencing[].