Lilium bulbiferum
L.
Liliaceae
Lilium atrosanguineum H.Vilm.
Lilium aurantiacum Weston
Lilium biligulatum Baker
Lilium croceum Chaix
Lilium elatum Salisb.
Lilium fulgens É.Morren ex Spae
Lilium fulgens W.H.Baxter
Lilium haematochroum Lem.
Lilium humile Mill.
Lilium lateritium Baker
Lilium latifolium Link
Lilium luteum Gaterau
Lilium pictum Baker
Lilium pubescens Bernh. ex Hornem.
Lilium sanguineum Lindl.
Lilium scabrum Moench
Lilium sibiricum Willd.
Common Name: Fire Lily
General Information
Lilium bulbiferumis a herbaceous perennial bulbiferous plant producing a leafy stem around 120cm tall
The plant iss harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is cultivated as a food crop in China and as a medicinal plant in Germany[
]. It is often grown as an ornamental.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
Eastern Central Europe - Germany to Poland, south to Spain, Italy, the Balkans and Romania.
Habitat
Scrub, amongst bracken and on rocky slopes[
90- Title
- Bulbs
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. and Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books
- Year
- 1989
- ISBN
- 0-330-30253-1
- Description
- Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.
].
Properties
Edibility Rating | |
Medicinal Rating | |
Habit | Bulb |
Height | 1.20 m |
Pollinators | Bees |
Self-fertile | No |
Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Lilium bulbiferum is a moderately cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -15°c when fully dormant[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
143- Title
- Lilies - Their Culture and Management.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Woodcock. and Coutts.
- Publisher
- Country Life
- Year
- 1935
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A classic, but dated. Deals with the genus Lilium.
] and in calcareous soils[
90- Title
- Bulbs
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. and Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Pan Books
- Year
- 1989
- ISBN
- 0-330-30253-1
- Description
- Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Prefers summer shade[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted 15cm deep[
43- Title
- Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fernald. M. L.
- Publisher
- American Book Co.; New York
- Year
- 1950
- ISBN
- 0442222505
- Description
- A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
,
143- Title
- Lilies - Their Culture and Management.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Woodcock. and Coutts.
- Publisher
- Country Life
- Year
- 1935
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A classic, but dated. Deals with the genus Lilium.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. 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[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
This is one of the easiest lilies to grow[
47- Title
- Growing Lilies.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fox. D.
- Publisher
- Croom Helm
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A lovely and very readable book dealing with the cultivation of the genus Lilium.
], it is cultivated for its edible bulb in Japan[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
].
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[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
The typical form of this species forms bulbils on its stems[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. The sub-species L. bulbiferum croceum does not normally produce bulbils[
188- Title
- The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brickell. C.
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd.
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-86318-386-7
- Description
- Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
].
Edible Uses
Bulb - cooked. Sweet and mealy[
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
], they make very fair eating and can be used as a potato substitute[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
]. The bulb can be used fresh or dried[
]. The bulb is made up of many imbricate, fleshy scales, without a tunic[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].
Medicinal
The flowers are important as folk medicine for the treatment of abscesses, wound disinfection and blood formation[
]
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - delayed hypogeal germination[
130- Title
- The Plantsman. Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983.
- Publication
-
- Author
- ?
- Publisher
- Royal Horticultural Society
- Year
- 1982
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants, including Distylium racemosum and some perennial members of the family Berberidaceae.
]. Best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in spring[
143- Title
- Lilies - Their Culture and Management.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Woodcock. and Coutts.
- Publisher
- Country Life
- Year
- 1935
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A classic, but dated. Deals with the genus Lilium.
]. Stored seed will require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being about 2 months long[
163- Title
- Lilies and Related Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- RHS Lily Group.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Lots of interesting snippets about plants in the family Liliaceae (in the old, broad sense)
]. 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[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Division with care in the autumn once the leaves have died down. Replant immediately[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Bulbils - gather in late summer when they start to fall off the stems and pot up immediately. Grow on in a greenhouse until large enough to go outside[
163- Title
- Lilies and Related Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- RHS Lily Group.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Lots of interesting snippets about plants in the family Liliaceae (in the old, broad sense)
].
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[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
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