INVESTIGATION AND CULTIVATION OF LILIUM CERNUUM FROM NORTHEAST CHINA

Abstract

In order to understand the resource status and utilize the resources of Lilium cernuum, we have investigated the habitat, associated plants, populations and morphological characters of L. cernuum in Linjiang City, Baishan Prefecture, Jilin Province and Kuandian County, Dandong Prefecture, Liaoning Province of China. Wild bulbs of L. cernuum from Wohu Mountain, Linjiang City were introduced and cultivated in Beijing. The results indicated that the L. cernuum is distributed in all the investigated sites including Dianshita Mountain, Dahu Mountain and Zhenzhu Villa in Linjiang, and Dapushi River, Huabo Mountain and Xiaohu River in Kuandian. L. cernuum had strong adaptability and diversified habitats such as glade, forest understory, roadside shrub, ridge and cliff. There were rich associated plants including Quercus mongolica, Lespedeza bicolor, Atractylodes japonica and Fraxinus chinensis in both Linjiang and Kuandian. The native Linjiang population was stable while that of Kuandian was increasing type. There are some morphological differences between populations in Linjiang and Kuandian. Plants in the Linjiang population had higher stem of 44-70 cm and 34-53 leaves with 10-12 cm length and 1.80-1.82 mm wide. In the Kuandian population, plants had lower stem of 32-65 cm, 33-66 leaves with 10-13 cm length and 1.79-1.84 mm wide. There were 1-3 flowers in the raceme inflorescences which first flowering on July 10th 2012 in Linjiang, and 1-2 flowers in the raceme or umbel inflorescences that first opened on July 3rd 2013 in Kuandian. Fifty-nine plants emerged from 170 wild bulbs planted in Lvgezhuang Village, Changping District, Beijing on May 23, 2012 with the survival rate 34.7%. Under introduction conditions, the average stem height was 52 cm, leaves number is 48, with average 8 cm length and 2.08 mm wide. Although the stem height was not changed, leaf was 4 cm shorter and 0.2 mm wider than that in the original site. Nineteen flowers opened on June 16, 2013, 15 days earlier than the flowering in natural population with the flowering rate 11.2%. The individual flower bloomed for 3-4 days, and the whole population was flowering 21 days. We assume that temperature might be the key factor affecting the flowering, which contributes to an excellent prospect of commercialization of flower industry. This research provided the germplasm basis for the industrialization of wild lilies in China.