Common Name: White Trumpet Lily

General Information

Lilium longiflorum is a herbaceous perennial bulbiferous plant producing a leafy stem around 45 - 90cm tall[]
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its very fragrant flowers[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - southern Japan, Taiwan, Philippines

Habitat

By the coast, often in pockets of coral rock[]. Found at elevations up to 500 metres in Taiwan[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Lilium longiflorum is only hardy outdoors in the mildest areas of Britain and even there needs to be grown in a warm sheltered position with protection from early frosts[]. The dormant bulbs will withstand soil temperatures down to at least -5°c[]. It can be grown as an annual, the plants can flower in 6 months from seed[].
Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun[]. Lime tolerant.[], plants grow well in limestone soils[]. Plants deteriorate rapidly if grown in deep shade[].
A very ornamental plant[] it is often cultivated for the cut flower trade[].
The flowers diffuse a pleasant jasmine-like perfume[].
Hand pollination is required in order to ensure fertilization[].
Stem rooting, plant the bulbs 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[].
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[]. Mild flavoured and slightly sweet[]. A starch is also extracted from the bulb[, ]. The globose to subglobose bulb is 25 - 50mm in diameter[]. 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[].

Young leaves and stems - cooked[, , ]. Eating the leaves and stems severely harms the vitality of the bulb and is not recommended except in emergencies.

Flowers[]. No further details are given. The flower buds are eaten according to another report[].

Medicinal

The bulb is antiasthmatic, antitussive, expectorant, sedative and tonic (nutritive)[, ]. It is used in the treatment of coughs, haemoptysis, insomnia and fidgetiness in the later stage of febrile disease[].

Other Uses

An essential oil is obtained from the flowers, used in perfumery[, , ].
An extract of the bulb is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as an astringent, skin conditioner and skin protector[].

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[].