''Lilium brownii'' var. ''viridulum'' is a

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

of '' Lilium brownii'' native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Names

''Lilium brownii'' var. ''viridulum'' was named 百合 (''bai he'', "hundred united") in Chinese, referring to the numerous scales of a bulb. Its Korean name is 당나리 (Tang lily), indicating it was introduced from China. In the late 16th century, it was introduced to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, probably from Korea via the port of Hakata (the old name of

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

), and therefore named ハカタユリ (Hakata lily) in Japanese. However, there is another story in which the lily was given by a Chinese man to a Japanese woman in Hakata.

Cultivation and uses

The bulb of ''Lilium brownii'' var. ''viridulum'' has been used as food and medicine in China for about 2,000 years. Its cultivation occurred no later than 1,000 years ago, after which many poems were written to praise the beauty and fragrance of its flower, indicating it was also widely cultivated as an ornamental plant back then. The famous 12th-century poet

Lu You Lu You ( zh, s=陆游, t=陸游, first=t; 1125–1210) was a Chinese historian and List of Chinese language poets, poet of the Southern Song Dynasty (南宋). Career Early life and marriage Lu You was born on a boat floating in the Wei River e ...

was especially fond of this lily and even grew some in front of his window. A

landrace A landrace is a Domestication, domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural Environment (biophysical), environment of agric ...

called "dragon-tooth lily" (龍牙百合 ''long ya bai he'', depicting the appearance of the bulb scales) is especially renowned for its large-sized and good-quality bulb, and is one of the three most important lilies for culinary and medicinal uses in China. The other two are '' L. lancifolium'' and ''L. davidii'' var. ''unicolor''. The bulb of the dragon-tooth lily has a bland taste, while the bulb of ''L. lancifolium'' is bitter and that of ''L. davidii'' var. ''unicolor'' is sweet. In Taiwan, both the flower and bulbs are used as food, as are the other related species: ''L. lancifolium'', ''L. pumilum'' and '' L. candidum''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q25120881 brownii var. viridulum Flora of China