Star-Flowered Lily Of The Valley (Smilacena stellata)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full shade
- Frost limit
- −40 °C
Cultivation
Requires a deep fertile humus rich moisture retentive soil, neutral to slightly acid, that does not dry out in the growing season, and a shady position. Plants have a creeping rhizome and can form extensive patches. Fruits well in a shady woodland position at Kew[K]. Hardy to about -25°c. Plants are slow to establish but then can become invasive. The flowers are powerfully scented.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can be very slow to germinate, often taking 18 months. Stored seed should be sown in a cold frame as soon as possible, it may take 2 years or longer to germinate. Grow the seedlings on in a shady part of a greenhouse for their first year without pricking them out, giving them liquid or foliar feeds as required to ensure that they do not become nutrient deficient. Divide the young plants up into individual pots in the autumn when they are dormant, and grow them on for at least another year in a shady part of the greenhouse. When the plants have reached a sufficient size, plant them out in the autumn whilst they are dormant. Division in spring or early autumn. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is said to be laxative in large quantities when eaten raw, especially if you are not used to eating it, though thorough cooking removes this laxative effect[K]. Young leaves - raw or cooked. The young shoots, as they emerge in spring, can be used as an asparagus substitute. Root - cooked. It should be soaked in alkaline water first to get rid of a disagreeable taste.
Medicinal uses
Star-flowered lily of the valley was employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism. A tea made from the roots is drunk to regulate menstrual disorders. A decoction of the leaves is taken 2 - 3 times a day in the treatment of rheumatism and colds. The root is analgesic, antiseptic, haemostatic, ophthalmic, stomachic and vulnerary.
Material uses
Plants can be grown as a ground cover when planted about 60cm apart each way.
Habitat
Woods, thickets and open meadows, on gravelly and alluvial soils.
Native range
N. America - British Columbia to California and east to Virginia and Newfoundland.