Lilium ( ) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are native to the Northern Hemisphere and their range is temperate climates and extends into the subtropics. Many other plants have "lily" in their common names, but do not belong to the same genus and are therefore not true lilies. True lilies are known to be highly toxic to cats.
Description
Lilies are tall perennials ranging in height from . They form naked or tunicless scaly underground bulbs which are their organs of perennation. In some North American species the base of the bulb develops into rhizomes, on which numerous small bulbs are found. Some species develop stolons. Most bulbs are buried deep in the ground, but a few species form bulbs near the soil surface. Many species form stem-roots. With these, the bulb grows naturally at some depth in the soil, and each year the new stem puts out adventitious roots above the bulb as it emerges from the soil. These roots are in addition to the basal roots that develop at the base of the bulb, a number of species also produce contractile roots that move the bulbs deeper into the soil.
The flowers are large, often fragrant and come in a wide range of colors including whites, yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and purples. Markings include spots and brush strokes. The plants are late spring- or summer-flowering. Flowers are borne in racemes or umbels at the tip of the stem, with six tepals spreading or reflexed, to give flowers varying from funnel shape to a "Turk's cap". The tepals are free from each other, and bear a nectary at the base of each flower. The ovary is 'superior', borne above the point of attachment of the anthers. The fruit is a three-celled capsule.European Garden Flora; Volume 1
Seeds ripen in late summer. They exhibit varying and sometimes complex germination patterns, many adapted to cool temperate climates.
Most cool temperate species are deciduous and dormant in winter in their native environment. But some species native to areas with hot summers and mild winters (Lilium candidum, Lilium catesbaei, Lilium longiflorum) lose their leaves and enter a short dormant period in summer or autumn, sprout from autumn to winter, forming dwarf stems bearing a basal rosette of leaves until, after they have received sufficient chilling, the stem begins to elongate in warming weather.
The basic chromosome number is twelve (n=12).
Taxonomy Taxonomical division in sections follows the classical division of Comber,Harold Comber, 1949. "A new classification of the genus Lilium". Lily Yearbook, Royal Hortic. Soc., London. 15:86–105. species acceptance follows the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, the taxonomy of section Pseudolirium is from the Flora of North America,Flora of North America, Vol. 26, Online the taxonomy of Section Liriotypus is given in consideration of Resetnik et al. 2007, the taxonomy of Chinese species (various sections) follows the Flora of ChinaFlora of China, Vol. 24, eFloras.org and the taxonomy of Section Sinomartagon follows Nishikawa et al. as does the taxonomy of Section Archelirion.
The Sinomartagon are divided into three paraphyletic groups, while the Leucolirion are divided into two paraphyletic groups.
There are seven sections: Martagon Pseudolirium Liriotypus Archelirion Sinomartagon Leucolirion Daurolirion
There are 119 species counted in this genus. For a full list of accepted species with their native ranges, see List of Lilium species.
Picture Section Sub Section Botanical name common name Martagon Lilium distichum Martagon Lilium hansonii Martagon Lilium martagon Martagon or Turk's cap lily Martagon Lilium medeoloides Martagon Lilium tsingtauense Pseudolirium 2a Lilium bolanderi Bolander's Lily Pseudolirium 2a Lilium puberulum Pseudolirium 2a Lilium kelloggii Pseudolirium 2a Lilium rubescens Pseudolirium 2a Lilium washingtonianum Washington Lily, Shasta Lily, or Mt. Hood Lily Pseudolirium 2b Lilium kelleyanum Pseudolirium 2b Lilium maritimum Pseudolirium 2b Lilium occidentale Pseudolirium 2b Lilium pardalinum Panther or Leopard lily Pseudolirium 2b Lilium parryi Pseudolirium 2b Lilium parvum Sierra tiger lily or Alpine lily Pseudolirium 2c Lilium canadense Canada Lily or Meadow Lily Pseudolirium 2c Lilium grayi Pseudolirium 2c Lilium iridollae Pseudolirium 2c Lilium michiganense Michigan Lily Pseudolirium 2c Lilium michauxii Carolina Lily Pseudolirium 2c Lilium superbum Swamp lily or American tiger lily Pseudolirium 2c Lilium pyrophilum Sandhills Lily Pseudolirium 2d Lilium catesbaei Pseudolirium 2d Lilium philadelphicum Wood lily, Philadelphia lily or prairie lily Liriotypus3a Lilium candidum Madonna lily Liriotypus3b Lilium albanicum Liriotypus3b Lilium bosniacum (Lilium carniolicum var. bosniacum) Liriotypus3b Lilium chalcedonicum Liriotypus3b Lilium carniolicum Liriotypus3b Lilium ciliatum Liriotypus3b Lilium heldreichii Liriotypus3b Lilium jankae Liriotypus3b Lilium pomponium Turban lily Liriotypus3b Lilium ponticum Liriotypus3b Lilium pyrenaicum Liriotypus3c Lilium akkusianum Liriotypus3c Lilium kesselringianum Liriotypus3c Lilium monadelphum Liriotypus3c Lilium rhodopeum Liriotypus3c Lilium szovitsianum Polish Lily Liriotypus3c Lilium polyphyllum Liriotypus3c Lilium ledebourii Liriotypus3d Lilium bulbiferum Orange Lily or Fire Lily Archelirion 4a Lilium speciosum Japanese lily Archelirion4b Lilium auratum Golden rayed lily of Japan, or Goldband lily Archelirion4c Lilium alexandrae Archelirion4c Lilium japonicum Archelirion4cLilium nobilissimumArchelirion4d Lilium brownii Archelirion4d Lilium rubellumArchelirion4d Lilium platyphyllum Sinomartagon 5a Lilium davidii Sinomartagon5a Lilium duchartrei Sinomartagon5a Lilium henryi Tiger Lily or Henry's lily Sinomartagon5a Lilium lancifolium Tiger Lily (often known as L. tigrinum) Sinomartagon5a Lilium lankongense Sinomartagon5a Lilium leichtlinii Sinomartagon5a Lilium papilliferum Sinomartagon5a Lilium rosthornii Sinomartagon5b Lilium amabile Sinomartagon5b Lilium callosum Sinomartagon5b Lilium cernuum Sinomartagon5b Lilium concolor Morning Star Lily Sinomartagon5b Lilium fargesii Sinomartagon5b Lilium pumilum Coral Lily, Low Lily, or Siberian Lily Sinomartagon5b Lilium xanthellum Sinomartagon5c Lilium amoenum Sinomartagon5c Lilium arboricola Sinomartagon5c Lilium bakerianum Sinomartagon5c Lilium euxanthum Sinomartagon5c Lilium henrici Sinomartagon5c Lilium lophophorum Sinomartagon5c Lilium mackliniae Siroi Lily Sinomartagon5c Lilium majoense Sinomartagon5c Lilium nanum Sinomartagon5c Lilium nepalense Sinomartagon5c Lilium oxypetalum Sinomartagon5c Lilium paradoxum Sinomartagon5c Lilium poilanei Sinomartagon 5c Lilium primulinum Sinomartagon5c Lilium sempervivoideum Sinomartagon5c Lilium sherriffiae Sinomartagon5c Lilium souliei Sinomartagon5c Lilium stewartianum Sinomartagon5c Lilium taliense Sinomartagon5c Lilium wardii Sinomartagon5? Lilium brevistylum Sinomartagon5? Lilium lijiangense Sinomartagon5? Lilium anhuiense Sinomartagon5? Lilium eupetes Sinomartagon5? Lilium habaense Sinomartagon5? Lilium huidongense Sinomartagon5? Lilium jinfushanense Sinomartagon5? Lilium matangense Sinomartagon5? Lilium medogense Sinomartagon5? Lilium pinifolium Sinomartagon5? Lilium pyi Sinomartagon5? Lilium saccatum Sinomartagon5? Lilium tianschanicum Sinomartagon5? Lilium floridum Leucolirion6a Lilium leucanthum Leucolirion6a Lilium regale Leucolirion6a Lilium sargentiae Leucolirion6a Lilium sulphureum Leucolirion6a Lilium wenshanense Leucolirion6b Lilium anhuiense Leucolirion6b Lilium formosanum Leucolirion6b Lilium longiflorum Easter Lily Leucolirion6b Lilium neilgherrense Leucolirion6b Lilium philippinense Benguet lily Leucolirion6b Lilium wallichianum Leucolirion6b Lilium zairii Leucolirion6b Lilium puerense Daurolirion Lilium dauricum Daurolirion Lilium maculatum Daurolirion Lilium pensylvanicum Lilium armenum Lilium bosniacum Lilium columbianum Lilium debile Lilium humboldtii Lilium rockii
Some species formerly included within this genus have now been placed in other genera. These genera include Cardiocrinum, Notholirion, and Fritillaria. Four other genuses, Lirium, Martagon, and Nomocharis are considered to synonyms by most sources.
Etymology The botanic name Lilium is the Latin form and is a Linnaean name. The Latin name is derived from the Greek word leírion, generally assumed to refer to true, white lilies as exemplified by the Madonna lily. The word was borrowed from Coptic , from Demotic , from Egyptian "flower". , , was used by the Greeks, albeit for lilies of any color.
The term "lily" has in the past been applied to numerous flowering plants, often with only superficial resemblance to the true lily, including water lily, fire lily, lily of the Nile, calla lily, trout lily, kaffir lily, cobra lily, lily of the valley, daylily, ginger lily, Amazon lily, leek lily, Peruvian lily, and others. All English translations of the Bible render the Hebrew shūshan, shōshan, shōshannā as "lily", but the "lily among the thorns" of Song of Solomon, for instance, may be the honeysuckle.
Distribution and habitat
The range of lilies in the Old World extends across much of Europe, across most of Asia to Japan, south to India, and east to Indochina and the Philippines. In the New World they extend from southern Canada through much of the United States. They are commonly adapted to either woodland habitats, often montane, or sometimes to grassland habitats. A few can survive in marshland and epiphytes are known in tropical southeast Asia. In general they prefer moderately acidic or lime-free soils.
Ecology Lilies are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the Dun-bar.
The proliferation of deer (e.g. Odocoileus virginianus) in North America, mainly due to factors such as the elimination of large predators for human safety, is responsible there for a downturn in lily populations in the wild and is a threat to garden lilies as well. Fences as high as 8 feet may be required to prevent them from consuming the plants, an impractical solution for most wild areas.
Cultivation Many species are widely grown in the garden in temperate, sub-tropical and tropical regions. Numerous ornamental hybrids have been developed. They are used in herbaceous borders, woodland and shrub plantings, and as patio plants. Some lilies, especially Lilium longiflorum, form important cut flower crops or potted plants. These are forced to flower outside of the normal flowering season for particular markets; for instance, Lilium longiflorum for the Easter trade, when it may be called the Easter lily.
Lilies are usually planted as bulbs in the dormant season. They are best planted in a south-facing (northern hemisphere), slightly sloping aspect, in sun or part shade, at a depth 2½ times the height of the bulb (except Lilium candidum which should be planted at the surface). Most prefer a porous, loamy soil, and good drainage is essential. Most species bloom in July or August (northern hemisphere). The flowering periods of certain lily species begin in late spring, while others bloom in late summer or early autumn. They have contractile roots which pull the plant down to the correct depth, therefore it is better to plant them too shallowly than too deep. A soil pH of around 6.5 is generally safe. Most grow best in well-drained soils, and plants are watered during the growing season. Some species and cultivars have strong wiry stems, but those with heavy flower heads are staked to stay upright.
Awards The following lily species and cultivars currently hold the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017):
African Queen Group (VI-/a) 2002 H6 'Casa Blanca' (VIIb/b-c) 1993 H6 'Fata Morgana' (Ia/b) 2002 H6 'Garden Party' (VIIb/b) 2002 H6 Golden Splendor Group (VIb-c/a)