edible lilies

James Waddick jwaddick@kc.rr.com
Fri, 17 Jun 2005 09:08:32 PDT
>i thought only the unopened buds of day lilies
>("golden needles") were eaten?  i hadn't hard of
>eating the bulb itself.
>
>tsuh yang

Dear Tsuh Yang;
	I think most all true Lilium have edible bulbs. If you Google 
'edible lilium' you'll get hits on L. lancifolium, but I don't think 
I'd recommend this. In Gansu they favor L. davidii and if you look in 
McCrae's or Haw's books on lilies they repeats this. A lot of species 
of true lily are eaten, but not all are equal. I suspect even in 
Gansu they are commercially grown and may represent a specific cv 
grown for size, taste, productivity etc.

	I think they should be available in oriental Mkts elsewhere 
if they made it to Kansas City. Lily scales are also prepared and 
dried, then sold in bags.

	My plants have been in a gallon pot and 'bonsai'ed" (Pen 
Jing'ed?)so are way smaller than they should be.

	Edible Daylily (Hemerocallis) flowers are restricted to a few 
tastiest, commercial cvs. I think that some Lilium Flowers are edible 
too, but recall something about Lilum Pollen being poisonous?

	Eater beware.

	Best	Jim W.
-- 
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph.    816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
	Summer 100F +


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