Common Name:

General Information

Lilium nepalense 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 and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Himalayas, from northwest India, Nepal, southern China, Bhutan, Myanmar and northern Thailand

Habitat

Exposed positions amongst rocks, open slopes, bushy places in mixed forests, often found on limestone rocks and in bamboo thickets; at elevations from 2,100 - 3,500 metres[, , ].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

Lilium nepalense is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -25°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[].
Plants should be kept dry in the dormant season and are therefore best grown in a greenhouse border[, ].
The stem is running and rooting underground[]. Bulbs should be planted about 20cm deep in almost pure leafmold with added charcoal[]. 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[].
A very ornamental plant[]. The flowers are usually malodorous[]. The flowers have a strong scent of indole[].
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[, , ]. The subglobose bulb is about 20mm in diameter[]. 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[].

Medicinal

The bulb is used as a tonic[].

Other Uses

None known

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[].