This species is often erroneously known as Lilium dauricum. Although pensylvanicum is a confusing epithet (since the plant is native to eastern Asia and not eastern N. America), there is no valid reason to reject this name, as many have done in the past.

Common Name:

General Information

Lilium pensylvanicum 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.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

N.E. Asia - eastern Siberia, Russian Far East, Mongolia, northern China, Japan, Korea

Habitat

Damp meadows and forest edges in mixed herbaceous vegetation in sandy soils[]. Open forests, bushy slopes, hillsides and moist meadows; at elevations from 400 - 1,500 metres[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

Lilium dauricum is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -20 to -25°c when fully dormant, though the embryonic flower shoot will be damaged at temperatures around -15°c[, ].
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[]. Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil in a sunny position, it rapidly degenerates if grown in shade[, ]. Prefers an acid soil but tolerates lime[, ].
The dormant bulb is very hardy and has withstood soil temperatures down to -20°c
Stem rooting with a stoloniferous stem base, plant the bulbs 10 - 12cm 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[].
A very ornamental plant[].
Lilium spectabilis, which is said to be a synonym of this species by many botanists, differs from this plant and therefore exists in its own right[].
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 ovoid-globose bulb is about 20cm 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[].

Flowers[]. No further details are given.

Medicinal

None known

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[].
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.