Lilies in the Garden and on the Plate? 7/16/21

One of my readers requested more images of my garden and flowers, so here are some of the beautiful flowering elements in my backyard. I adore these flowers for their exotic appeal, but there is more to these flowers than just the visual.

Little did I know that in my garden lurked a potential killer, the Swamp Spider Lily. The fragility of this flower is deceiving when you contemplate the idea that "The stalk leaves and flowers of the spider lily are mildly poisonous but the bulbs are very poisonous", per the Union Springs Herald located in Alabama. Do Not Ingest Swamp Spider Lilies!

Though I would not normally even consider ingesting anything in my garden because it is a floral and greenery garden, when I looked up the benefits of Canna Lilies, I found out that there are types of Cannas that are edible! These tropical looking show-stoppers "have been cultivated as a food crop for over 4000 years in Central and South America." Their rhizomes provide a starchy meal if boiled or baked per AlGeralds Plants and Bulbs, but in present times their leaves are used to wrap tamales more often than using the rhizome, which has been replaced with plants such as the Peruvian Potato.

According to A to Z Flowers Cannas have the following medicinal attributes:

"There are numerous medicinal uses of this plant. Traditionally, it has been used in the treatment of fever, diarrhea, hepatitis, malaria, women’s complaints, headaches, yaws, eye diseases, ear aches, gonorrhea, amenorrhea and to alleviate nose bleeding. The plant has also been used for cancer treatment."

In closing, I wouldn't have a clue as to where to begin to use this plant for a medical treatment, but I'm thankful to know that with beauty comes substance and sustenance. What could be more appealing?

P.S.

Tell me more about what is in your garden.