Lilium auratum var. auratum (golden rayed lily of Japan, "Yamayuri")

Japanese name: ヤマユリ （山百合）
Scientific name: Lilium auratum var. auratum

[Overview]
A perennial 100–150 cm tall.
It is found at the edges of woods in mountains and hills, and on open slopes and in grassy places.
Underground it has a fleshy, yellowish-white, flattened-spherical bulb 6–10 cm across.
Leaves are simple and alternate, lanceolate to long-ovate, 10–15 cm long, with entire margins. The upper surface of the leaves is glossy.
The leaves have short petioles.
A raceme at the top of the stem bears several to 20 large flowers that face sideways to slightly downward.
The flowers are funnel-shaped, 20–26 cm across. The tepals are recurved, 10–18 cm long and white, with reddish-brown spots on the inner surface and a yellow line along the central vein.
The flowers have a strong fragrance.
The pollen is reddish brown.
The fruit is an oblong capsule 5–8 cm long.

[Uses]
The bulbs are almost free of bitterness and are eaten under the name yurine (lily bulb).
It is one of the important parents of the Oriental hybrids.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It prefers partial shade away from the afternoon sun and well-drained soil rich in humus.
Avoid excess moisture, and ensure good drainage and ventilation. In winter, protect it from cold wind.
For potted plants, water when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, watering is unnecessary unless it becomes severely dry.
As basal fertilizer, give a slow-release fertilizer high mainly in phosphorus and potassium, and from spring until the flowering period, apply additional fertilizer with equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Pests and diseases include virus diseases, rot and aphids.

[Notes]
It is the prefectural flower of Kanagawa.

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