Lilium davidii
Duch. ex Elwes
Liliaceae
Lilium biondii Baroni
Lilium cavaleriei H.Lév. & Vaniot
Lilium chinense Baroni
Lilium sutchuenense Franch.
Lilium thayerae E.H.Wilson
Lilium willmottiae E.H.Wilson
Common Name:
General Information
Lilium davidii is a herbaceous perennial bulbiferous plant producing a leafy stem around 100cm tall
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. One of the larger lily bulbs, the plant is sometimes cultivated as a food crop in China and is also often grown as an ornamental plant.
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.
,
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.
Range
E. Asia - northeast India, southern China (Gansu, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan Yunnan)
Habitat
Moist places in forests, forest margins and grassy slopes; at elevations from 800 - 3,200 metres[
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.
].
Properties
Edibility Rating | |
Habit | Bulb |
Height | 1.00 m |
Pollinators | Bees |
Self-fertile | No |
Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Lilium davidii is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -25°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.
]. An easily grown plant, it tolerates some lime in the soil[
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.
,
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)
,
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 15 - 20cm deep[
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.
]. 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[
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.
].
This species is occasionally cultivated for its edible bulb in China[
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.
]. The plant is widely cultivated for its root according to another report[
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.
].
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[
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.
].
Edible Uses
Bulb - cooked[
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
,
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.
]. One of the larger lily bulbs, it ranges from 20 - 45mm in diameter[
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.
]. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). The bulb is made up of many imbricate, fleshy leaf 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
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - immediate epigeal 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.
]. Sow thinly in pots from late winter to early spring in a cold frame. Should germinate in 2 - 4 weeks[
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)
]. 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[
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.
].
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.
].
The formation of bulbils on the stem can be induced by either removing the stem at flowering time and layering it just below the soil surface, or by removing all the flowers before they open.
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