Lilium dauricum
At a glance
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −28.9 °C
Cultivation
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil. The dormant bulb is very hardy and has withstood soil temperatures down to -20°c, though the embryonic flower shoot will be damaged at temperatures around -15°c. Stem rooting with a stoloniferous stem base, plant the bulbs 10 - 12cm deep. A very ornamental plant. L. 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.
Propagation
Seed - immediate epigeal germination. 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[K]. 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.
Edible uses
Bulb - cooked. Rich in starch, it can be used as a vegetable in similar ways to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). Flowers. No further details are given.
Habitat
Damp meadows and forest edges in mixed herbaceous vegetation in sandy soils.
Native range
N.E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and Siberia.