Pale Vanilla Lily (Arthropodium milleflorum)

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kennedyh Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a) Oct 09, 2003

Common name: Pale Vanilla Lily
Family: Liliaceae
Genus: Arthropodium
Species milleflorum

Plant Link: http://plantsdatabase.com/go/59571/

Thumbnail by kennedyh
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CaptMicha Brookeville, MD(Zone 7a) May 15, 2005

Did your vanilla lily ever flower and if so, did the flowers smell like vanilla?

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kennedyh Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a) May 15, 2005

Michelle,
I have a vanilla lily plant in my garden, which flowers regularly and I also often come across them in the wild as well.
I can't say that I have ever notived the vanilla scent, I must make a point of checking when it flowers next spring/summer,
Ken

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bootandall Blenheim, New Zealand May 15, 2005

I do not know why, but I thought NZ had all the Arthropodium

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CaptMicha Brookeville, MD(Zone 7a) May 16, 2005

This was eaten by the aborigonies... I know I spelled that wrong! Can the same species also be found in NZ?

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bootandall Blenheim, New Zealand May 16, 2005

I don't know Michelle . maybe Ken does

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kennedyh Churchill, Victoria, Australia(Zone 10a) May 16, 2005

The genus Arthropodium has 4 species in Australia, 2 in New Zealand and one each in New Caledonia and Madagascar. The Vanilla Lily is restricted to South-East Australia, mainly in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales, but just reaching South Australia and possibly also Queensland.
It was a food source to the local Aboriginal people in this area and quoting from a little book that I co-authored; Plants of Significance to the Ganai Community by Rob de Souza-Daw, Ken Harris and Doris Paton:

Quoting:
Pale Vanilla-lily is found in open and closed forests. The juicy tubers were eaten raw or roasted and could taste either slightly sweet or bitter

The Flora of Victoria makes no mention of the vanilla scent.

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bootandall Blenheim, New Zealand May 16, 2005

thanks Ken. I wonder if ours are eatable.

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CaptMicha Brookeville, MD(Zone 7a) May 17, 2005

Sounds yummy! I also recently found out that the indigenous people ate a lot of the local orchid tubers. There must have been enough growing to serve as a food source. It's such a shame what civilization has done to the wilderness.

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