Common Name:

General Information

Lilium wallichianum is a herbaceous perennial bulbiferous plant producing a leafy stem around 180cm tall
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is often grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its fragrant flowers.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - India - Himalayas of northern India, Nepal and Bhutan; also in southern India (Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu)

Habitat

Open slopes and grassland; at elevations from 1,200 - 2,000 metres[]. Moist shady places; at elevations from 1,100 - 2000 metres in Nepal[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Bulb
Height	1.80 m
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Lilium wallichianum is not a very cold-hardy plant, being able to tolerate short periods witj temperatures down to around -5°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[].
A stoloniferous plant[]. 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[], it requires greenhouse protection in Zone 7 or colder areas[]. It is not suitable for pot cultivation because of its stoloniferous habit[].
The flowers have a penetrating and spicy perfume[].
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. Boil and roasted as a vegetable[]. It is usually dried first[]. 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 dried bulb scales are demulcent[]. They are used like salep (obtained from various species of orchids, especially Orchis spp.) in the treatment of pectoral complaints[].

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 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 in 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[].