The name Lilium tigrinum Ker Gawl. (1809) is often used for this species, rather than Lilium lancifolium Thunb. (1794), because the latter name is ambiguous, having been long and consistently applied in the sense of Lilium speciosum[].

Common Name: Tiger Lily

General Information

Lilium lancifolium is a herbaceous perennial bulbiferous plant producing a leafy stem usually from 80 - 150cm tall, occasionally to 200cm[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine and also for use in commercial cosmetic products. It has a long history of cultivation in eastern Asia and is still widely cultivated in China for its edible bulb and medicinal uses. The plant is commonly grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its large flowers[].

Known Hazards

The pollen is said to be poisonous, producing vomiting, drowsiness and purging[].

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - Russian Far East (Primorye), eastern and southern China, Japan, Korea.

Habitat

Long cultivated and not known in a truly wild situation, though it can naturalise in woodlands[]. Thickets, grassy slopes, hillsides, river banks; at elevations from 400 - 2,500 metres[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

Lilium lancifolium is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -30°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[]. Prefers a lime-free soil according to some reports[, , ], whilst one says that it succeeds in a calcareous soil[] and another that it succeeds in ordinary garden soil[, ]. Prefers a deep acid loam[]. Likes a sunny position according to one report[] whilst others say that it is best grown in open woodland or amongst dwarf evergreen shrubs[].
Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted 15 - 20cm deep[]. 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[]. Plants grow well in northern gardens in Britain[].
A sterile triploid species, probably of hybrid origin involving Lilium leichtlinii and Lilium maculatum[].
A very ornamental plant[], it is cultivated for its edible bulb in China and Japan[, , , ].
This species tolerates virus infections, but it can transmit them to other species in this genus and so is best grown away from any of the other species[].
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[].

Edible Uses

Bulb - cooked[, , , ]. Somewhat bitterish[]. Fairly pleasant, when properly cooked, the bulbs are highly esteemed as a vegetable in China and somewhat resemble parsnips in flavour[]. The bulbs can be from 40 - 80mm in diameter[]. They are a good source of starch[, ]. The bulb can be dried and ground into powder. The bulb is made up of many imbricate, fleshy leaf scales, without a tunic[].

Flowers - raw or cooked. Used fresh or dried in salads, soups, rice dishes etc[].

Medicinal

The bulb is antiinflammatory, diuretic, emmenagogue, emollient and expectorant[, ]. They are used to relieve heart diseases, pain in the cardiac region and angina pectoris[]. They are used in Korea to treat coughs, sore throats, palpitations and boils[].

The flowers are carminative[]. They are used to strengthen the eye-lid muscles and are commended in the treatment of myopic astigmatism[].

A tincture made from the flowering plant, harvested when in full flower, is used in the treatment of uterine neuralgia, congestion, irritation and the nausea of pregnancy[]. It relieves the bearing-down pain accompanying uterine prolapse and is an important remedy in ovarian neuralgia[].

Other Uses

An extract of the aerial parts of the plant is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].
An extract of the roots is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a humectant[].

Propagation

Seed - this species is completely sterile and does not produce seed.
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[].
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[]. Plants can flower in three years from bulbils[].