Lilium superbum
L.
Swamp Lily, Turk's-cap lily, American Turk's Cap Lily
(c) Michael J. Papay, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Michael J. Papay
(c) Michael J. Papay, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Michael J. Papay
(c) Michael J. Papay, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Michael J. Papay
What to Eat
Edible parts: Root
Bulb - cooked. A starchy and slightly sweet taste. Fleshy. Used like potatoes or as a thickener in soups. The bulb is up to 5cm in diameter.
Where to Find It
Eastern N. America - New Brunswick to Ontario, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee and Missouri.
NORTHERN AMERICA: United States, Connecticut, Indiana (south), Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Illinois, Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida (northwest), Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, District of Columbia,
How to Identify
Lilium superbum is a BULB growing to 2.4 m (7ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. It is in flower from August to September, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
How to Grow
Prefers an open free-draining humus-rich loamy soil with its roots in the shade and its head in the sun. Requires a lime-free soil. Does well in a woodland, succeeding in sun or shade. Stem rooting, the bulbs should be planted 12 - 20cm deep on a few stones. 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. A very ornamental plant, it flowers in 4 years from seed. Hybridizes with L. canadense but does not seem to cross with other species. 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 - delayed hypogeal germination. Best sown as soon as ripe in a cold frame, it should germinate in spring. Stored seed will require a warm/cold/warm cycle of stratification, each period being about 2 months long. 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. 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.
