Bulbous and Tuberous Rooted Plants
A division of the Camden Park catalogues that is not clearly defined. Some of the more important families of the Hortus are included here, Amaryllidaceae, Iridaceae and Liliaceae. It also contains a wide assortment of other plants with a modified stem or root that acts as a storage organ. Such plants are usually deciduous and have a distinct dormancy period. Shrubs and trees are not included, but there is some overlap with herbaceous plants.
Leucocoryne species unidentified
Unidentified species, but see Leucocoryne ixioides Lindl.
Leucojum aestivum L.
Robust, hardy, bulbous perennial with leafless stems bearing up to 8 bell-shaped, faintly chocolate-scented, white flowers with green tips in spring. To 60cm. [RHSE, Hortus, Baker Am.].
Leucojum vernum L.
A bulbous perennial, it bears a few only erect, strap-like leaves and stout, leafless stems with 1, sometimes 2, bell-shaped, green-tipped white flowers in early spring. To 30cm. [RHSE, Hortus, Baker Am.].
Libertia formosa Graham
Hardy rhizomatous perennial with sword-shaped leaves, to 30cm long, and white flowers borne in dense clusters. [RHSD, Hortus].
Lilium bulbiferum L.
Fully-hardy, vigorous, clump-forming lily with lance-shaped leaves and bulbils produced in the upper leaf axils. In summer it produces 1-5-flowered umbels, occasionally many-flowered racemes, of unscented, bowl-shaped, bright orange-red flowers with black or maroon spots. To 1.5m. Lilium bulbiferum, of more easterly origin than its varieties, such as croceum, is the only form to bear bulbils in its leaf axils. [RHSE, Hortus].
Lilium bulbiferum L. var. croceum (Chaix.) Pers.
see Lilium bulbiferum L. for a description of the species. The variety croceum is a tall growing variety, to 1.8m, with bright orange flowers and does not produce bulbils. According to Grey, Lilium aurantiacum var. Chaixii, which is probably synonymous with croceum, flowers earlier than the type. [RHSE, Hortus].
Lilium canadense L.
Fully-hardy lily with rhizomatous bulbs, whorls of lance-shaped leaves and, in summer, umbels, occasionally racemes, of up to 30 faintly-scented, trumpet-shaped, yellow flowers, spotted inside with maroon. To 1.6m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Lilium canadense L. var. rubrum cruentum
Rubrum cruentum means ‘red, stained with blood colour’ [Stearn]. Hortus reports that plants sold in the USA as Lilium rubrum are often forms of Lilium canadense, such as coccineum [see Lilium canadense L.], a practice already established in 1840 in England: ‘Lilium Rubrum.-This is a form of Canadense; the colour of the flowers is red.’ [BF p.210/1840]. See Lilium canadense L. for a description of the species. A number of colour forms occur in the wild.
Lilium candidum L.
Fully-hardy lily with broad, inversely lance-shaped over-wintering basal leaves appearing in autumn. In summer stiffly erect stems bear scattered smaller leaves and, in mid-summer, racemes of 5-20 sweetly-scented, trumpet-shaped, pure white flowers with yellowish bases and bright yellow anthers. To 1.8m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Lilium chalcedonicum L.
Fully hardy, stem-rooting lily with spirally arranged, lance-shaped leaves, to 12cm long, with silver hairy margins, and racemes of up to 12 unpleasantly scented, bright red turkscap flowers, to 8cm across, in summer. To 1.5m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Lilium dauricum Ker-Gawl.
A stem-rooting lily with rhizomatous bulbs and brown-spotted stems. In summer the uppermost leaves form a whorl below the umbels of up to 6 unscented, bowl-shaped, deep orange-scarlet flowers with yellowish centres and darker spots. To 70cm. There are several garden varieties. [RHSE, Hortus].
Lilium japonicum Thunb.
A bulbous perennial with scattered, lance-shaped leaves, to 15cm, and flower spikes, to 90cm, bearing up to 5, fragrant, funnel-shaped, delicate rose-pink flowers on stems in summer. A white form coexists with the pink in the wild. [RHSD, Hortus, Grey].
Lilium lancifolium Thunb.
Fully-hardy, robust, stem-rooting, clump-forming lily with dark purple stems and narrowly lance-shaped leaves, developing bulbils in the axils, and up to 40 unscented, nodding, turkscap, orange-red flowers with dark purple spots, in racemes in summer and autumn. To 1.5m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Lilium longiflorum Thunb.
Half-hardy, vigorous stem-rooting lily with lance-shaped leaves and short racemes of 1-6 very fragrant, trumpet-shaped, pure white flowers with yellow anthers, in summer. To 1m. Widely grown for cut flowers. Excellent in containers. [RHS, Hortus].
Lilium longiflorum Thunb. var. eximium (Court.) Bak.
See Lilium longiflorum Thunb. for a description of the species. The variety eximium is known as the ‘Bermuda lily’ and is a taller, larger-flowered form. According to Grey it is distinguished chiefly by its more narrow and cylindrical perianth tube. It thrived out of doors in Bermuda and sparked a large commercial lily-growing industry, hence its common name. [Grey, Hortus].
