Lilium 2015

[fermi de Sousa]

At the risk of Maggi accusing me of plant abuse, I'm posting a pic of the lilium bulbs (mostly Oriental-Asiatic hybrids) I received a few weeks ago just before I planted them out on the weekend.
Annoyingly I only discovered when I went to plant them that the bag of "10 mixed Oriental-Asiatic Liliums" only contained 8 bulbs!
They should all still flower!
cheers
fermi

[brianw]

There is a current discussion on PBS about getting lilies from Asian markets (shops) where they are sold for food. Has anyone in the UK found or bought any to grow on for food or ornamental purposes ? What do they taste like ? I assume they are just another vegetable. Some of the Chinese plant hunting trips a few years back identified lilies in the food they were offered.
I quite like the idea of a row of lilies in the vegetable garden ;-) (not sure about the beetles though)

[Jupiter]

Hemerocallis, I know they are eaten but not lilium, surely? I thought they were poisonous...?   

Fermi that's no good! 8 for the price of 10 doesn't sound like a good deal at all. I'm sure you let them know their mistake.

[arisaema]

The cultivated ones sold in the west are usually L. lancifolium, I think, but L. davidii is commonly eaten here in Yunnan and Sichuan. They taste quite nice, slightly floral/sweet and starchy.

[Robert]

There is a current discussion on PBS about getting lilies from Asian markets (shops) where they are sold for food. Has anyone in the UK found or bought any to grow on for food or ornamental purposes ? What do they taste like ? I assume they are just another vegetable. Some of the Chinese plant hunting trips a few years back identified lilies in the food they were offered.
I quite like the idea of a row of lilies in the vegetable garden ;-) (not sure about the beetles though)

Here in our part of California there are many Asian shops that sell lily bulbs as a food item. In Sacramento, California there is an Asian Farmers' Market on Sunday morning, 5th & Broadway. Lily can be purchased fresh, in season of coarse.

The lily bulbs I have eaten from the Asian Markets were okay, but then they were not fresh (packaged).

I have no idea how it is in the UK, however here in the USA one has to be adventuresome in the Asian Community to experience lily bulbs as a food item, or other aspects of their culture.

[Rick R.]

I’ve been eating my own lily bulbs for years now.  When you dabble in hybridizing, one ends up growing a lot of rejects that would otherwise be thrown away.  One goal I have is to taste test different species, as I would expect there is likely culinary differences between them.  I haven’t progressed too far on that front, as my stocks are not that large.  I have to say that all the species look rather yummy.  To date, I think I’ve only tried L. davidii and my asiatic hybrids of various parentage, some of which include L. lancifolium or L. davidii.  It’s good to be able to grow from seed and know that there have been no pesticides applied to what I eat.  How Lilium bulbs might retain such foreign chemicals is likely unknown.  I’ve never been able to find any credible information relating to this, and I would be grateful if anyone here has any enlightenment.

To the question at hand: for  me, Lilium bulbs taste like a starchy potato, but much sweeter.  I note the floral bouquet that Bjønar speaks of, too.  If anyone is interested, I started a thread called “Cooking with Lilies” on another, more general gardening site here where much of my culinary endeavors are chronicled.  The thread is rather long, but the only two posters that have actually prepared and eaten lilies are myself (username: Leftwood) and a Tasmanian called Della.  Skipping to these entries for useful info will speed you along.

[Maggi Young]

Big John (Amand, bulb seller) has eaten lilies on his visits to China and , if I remember correctly, found them tasty enough....... I have often wondered what they taste of and how to cook them.

Off to follow that link of yours, Rick....

[Tony Willis]

Lilium gloriosoides,this is the form from Taiwan

[Maggi Young]

Very pretty, Tony.  Does it need any special treatment?

[Tony Willis]

No nothing special although it might be slightly tender and so I am keeping it frost free.

[winwen]

What a wonderful lily (double-wow!) - and the photo is beautiful as well.
Tony, how early in the season does it start to grow?
Did you grow it from seeds?

[brianw]

A delightful flower, quite small if I remember correctly. Mine came from Kath Dryden probably many years ago. Tried seed once since but never got to flowering size. Hope you get some.

[Tony Willis]

No I did not grow it from seed,two bulbs came as a present from a friend. I do not know if they are the same clone and the second smaller bulb has one flower. I scaled it and have now a couple of off-sets. This is the form from Taiwan not China.

The flowers are not small but a normal L. speciosum size. It is considered by some people not to be a separate species but  to be a form of L. speciosum. Depends whether you lump or split.

I think it is flowering too late in the season to get seed

[arisaema]

Strangely small stigma compared to what I remember from the mainland form... Are there any obvious differences other than the colour?

[Rick R.]

A very beautiful lily, Tony!  This one is very different from the gloriosoides I received in my one and only shipment from Chen Yi, many many years ago.  Could yours be a successful cross of L. speciosum v. rubrum and gloriosoides?  Even the foliage seems to support this.