Lilium speciosum ("Kanokoyuri")

Japanese name: カノコユリ （鹿子百合）
Scientific name: Lilium speciosum

[Overview]
A perennial 100–150 cm tall.
It is found on cliffs in the mountains.
Underground it has a spherical, fleshy bulb 7–10 cm in diameter, yellowish white or tinged with reddish purple.
The leaves are simple and alternate, ovate-lanceolate, 10–18 cm long, with entire margins.
The leaf surface is glossy.
The leaves have short stalks.
A raceme to panicle at the top of the stem bears several to 20 flowers, which bloom facing obliquely downward.
The tepals are strongly recurved, 8–10 cm long, white tinged with pale pink, with deep red spots on the inner surface.
The pollen is reddish brown.
The flowers are fragrant.
The fruit is an oblong capsule 3–4 cm long.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by scale cuttings.
It prefers partial shade out of the afternoon sun and well-drained, humus-rich soil.
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 not necessary unless it becomes severely dry.
As a base fertilizer, apply a slow-release fertilizer mainly of phosphorus and potassium.
From spring until the flowering period, apply an additional fertilizer with equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Pests and diseases include virus disease, rot and aphids.

[Notes]
The Japanese name comes from the resemblance of the flowers, with red spots on a white ground, to kanoko-shibori (dappled tie-dye).

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