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Lilium auratum - Lindl.

Golden-Rayed Lily

Author	Lindl.	Botanical references	58, 200
Family	Liliaceae	Genus	Lilium
Synonyms	Lilium dexteri - Hovey. ex Duch.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat	Hills and mountains[58] in scrub or grassy places[90], in volcanic ash or poor gravelly soils, always on steep well-drained slopes[143].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Bulb growing to 1.8m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Root.

Bulb - cooked[4, 46]. Sweet and mucilaginous with a mild flavour that makes them acceptable to people who have never tried them before[2, 183]. The bulbs are used as a vegetable, and can also be boiled, sweetened, powdered and used in dumplings[183]. Large, they can be up to 17cm in diameter[61, 143].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

None known

Scented Plants

Flowers: Fresh

The flowers have a penetrating spicy aroma.

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained lime-free peaty soil in a warm position with its roots in the shade[1, 28, 47, 90, 200]. Enjoys abundant moisture so long as the soil is very well drained[47]. Prefers an open woodland position or growing amongst dwarf evergreens[1]. The plant deteriorates rapidly if grown in much shade[143]. Fertilizers, rich soils and lime are fatal to this plant[143]. Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted about 25 - 30 cm deep[143, 200]. 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[200]. A very ornamental plant[1], but short-lived in cultivation[200]. It grows better in warmer climates than Britain[90]. The variety 'Platyphyllum' has larger flowers than the type and is more amenable to adverse conditions[245]. The flowers have a penetrating spicy aroma[245]. Cultivated for its edible bulb in Japan[2, 163]. The plant should be protected against slugs in early spring. If the shoot tip is eaten out the bulb will not grow in that year and will lose vigour[200].

Propagation

Seed - delayed hypogeal germination[130]. Best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in spring[143]. Stored seed will require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being about 2 months long[163]. Grow on in cool shady conditions. 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[K]. Division with care in the autumn once the leaves have died down. Replant immediately[200]. Root bulbils - dig up in autumn and pot up in a cold frame for the first year[163]. 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[200].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: The Potted Garden.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[28] Knight. F. P. Plants for Shade. Royal Horticultural Society. 1980 ISBN 0-900629-78-9
A small but informative booklet listing plants that can be grown in shady positions with a few cultivation details.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[47] Fox. D. Growing Lilies. Croom Helm 1985
A lovely and very readable book dealing with the cultivation of the genus Lilium.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[130] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society 1982
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants, including Distylium racemosum and some perennial members of the family Berberidaceae.

[143] Woodcock. and Coutts. Lilies - Their Culture and Management. Country Life 1935
A classic, but dated. Deals with the genus Lilium.

[163] RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants. 0
Lots of interesting snippets about plants in the family Liliaceae (in the old, broad sense)

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

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