Dichopogon strictus - Chocolate Lily

Family:	Liliaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.9
Synonyms:
Range:	Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria.

Dichopogon strictus (Chocolate Lily) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.9m . It has a hardness rating of 9.
Chocolate Lily will flower in May. The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by

Soil Information

Chocolate Lily will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is / is important for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Chocolate Lily prefers moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Chocolate Lily should not be planted in shady areas.

Open forests and heathlands in sandy soils[154]. Also found in grassland[193].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Grows on a sunny edge

Cultivation Details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. It tolerates temperatures down to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[157] but this cannot be translated directly to this country due to our cooler summers and longer, wetter and colder winters. It is likely to need protection when grown outdoors in Britain. Requires a sandy loam and leafmold[1]. Succeeds in most soils in a sunny position in Australian gardens[157]. The flowers have a delicious scent of chocolate[157, 193].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 3/5
Root - raw or cooked[144, 193]. It is usually sweet but can be bitter[193]. Several tubers up to 3.5cm long are produced by each plant, usually up to 15cm below the surface of the soil[193]. Flowers - raw. Chocolate scented[144].

• Flowers -
• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 0/5
None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division.

Scented parts of the plants

Flowers : Fresh

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
F. Chittendon.
Author: F. Chittendon.
Rating:
Publisher : Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
Date of Publication : 1951

Flora of Victoria.
Ewart. A. J.
Author: Ewart. A. J.
Rating:
Publisher : A flora of eastern Australia, it is rather short on information that is useful to the plant project.
Date of Publication :

Flora of the Sydney Region
Carolin. R. & Tindale. M.
Author: Carolin. R. & Tindale. M.
Rating:
Publisher : Concise flora with little beyond an extensive key, species descriptions, very brief habitat description.
Date of Publication : 1993

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