Everything about Lilium totally explained
The
genus Lilium are
herbaceous flowering plants normally growing from
bulbs, comprising a genus of about 110
species in the lily family,
Liliaceae. They are important as large showy flowering garden plants, and in literature. Some of the bulbs have been consumed by people. The species in this genus are the true lilies, while other plants with lily in the common name are related to other groups of plants.
Range
Lilies are native to the northern temperate regions. Their range in the
Old World extends across much of
Europe, the north
Mediterranean, across most of
Asia to
Japan, south to the
Nilgiri mountains in
India, and south to 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 a single one is known to live as an
epiphyte (
L. arboricola). In general they prefer moderately acidic or lime-free soils.
Botany
Lilies are leafy stemmed herbs. They form naked or tunic-less scaly underground
bulbs from which they overwinter. In some North American species the base of the bulb develops into
rhizomes, on which numerous small bulbs are found. Some species develop
stolons. Very few species form 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.
The large
flowers have six
tepals, often fragrant, and come in a range of colours ranging through whites, yellows, oranges, pinks, reds and purples. Markings include spots, brush strokes and picotees.
The plants are summer flowering. Most species are
deciduous, but a few species (
Lilium candidum,
Lilium catesbaei) bear a basal rosette of leaves during dormancy.
Some species formerly included within this genus have now been placed in other genera. These include
Cardiocrinum,
Notholirion,
Nomocharis and some
Fritillaria.
Taxonomy
,,,,,,
Section Martagon
Section Pseudolirium
Section Liriotypus
Section Archelirion
Section Sinomartagon
Section Leucolirion
Section Daurolirion
Uses
Many species are widely grown in the garden in temperate and sub-tropical regions. Sometimes they may also be grown as potted plants. A large number of ornamental hybrids have been developed. They can be used in herbaceous borders, woodland and shrub plantings, and as a patio plant.
Some lilies, especially
Lilium longiflorum, as well as a few other hybrids, form important cut flower crops. These tend to be forced for particular markets; for instance,
L. longiflorum for the
Easter trade, when it may be called the
Easter lily.
Lilium bulbs are
starchy and edible as
root vegetables, although bulbs of some species may be very bitter. The non-bitter bulbs of
L. lancifolium,
L. pumilum, and especially
L. brownii (Chinese: ; pinyin:
bǎihé gān) are grown at large scale in
China as a luxury or health food, most often sold in dry form. They are eaten especially in the summer, for their ability to reduce internal heat. They may be reconstituted and
stir-fried, grated and used to thicken
soup, or processed to extract starch. Their texture and taste draw comparison with the
potato, although the individual bulb scales are much smaller.
Although they're believed to be safe for humans to eat, there are reports of nephrotoxicosis (
kidney failure) in cats which have eaten some species of
Lilium and
Hemerocallis (External Link
).
Lilies are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including
The Dun-bar.
Classification of garden forms
Numerous forms are grown for the garden, and most of these are hybrids. They vary according to their parent species, and are classified in the following broad groups;
- Species (Division IX). All natural species and naturally occurring forms are included in this group.
- Asiatic hybrids (Division I). These are plants with medium sized, upright or outward facing flowers, mostly unscented. They are derived from central and East Asian species.
- Martagon hybrids (Division II). These are based on L. martagon and L. hansonii. The flowers are nodding, Turk's cap style (with the petals strongly recurved).
- Candidum hybrids (Division III). This includes hybrids of L. candidum with several other mostly European species.
- American hybrids (Division IV). These are mostly taller growing forms, originally derived from L. pardalinum. Many are clump-forming perennials with rhizomatous rootstocks.
- Longiflorum hybrids (Division V). These are cultivated forms of this species and its subspecies. They are most important as plants for cut flowers, and are less often grown in the garden than other hybrids.
- Trumpet lilies (Division VI), including Aurelian hybrids. This group includes hybrids of many Asiatic species, including L. regale and L. aurelianse. The flowers are trumpet shaped, facing outward or somewhat downward, and tend to be strongly fragrant, often especially night-fragrant.
- Oriental hybrids (Division VII). These are based on hybrids of L. auratum and L. speciosum, together with crossbreeds from several mainland Asiatic species. They are fragrant, and the flowers tend to be outward facing. Plants tend to be tall, and the flowers may be quite large. An example is Lilium "Stargazer".
- Other hybrids (Division VIII). Includes all other garden hybrids.
Propagation and growth
Liliums can be propagated in several ways;
by division of the bulbs,
by growing-on bulbils which are adventitious bulbs formed on the stem,
by scaling, for which whole scales are detached from the bulb and planted to form a new bulb,
by seed; seed germination patterns are variable and can be complex.
Names
The botanic name Lilium is the Latin form and is a Linnaean name. The Latin name is derived from the Greek leirion, which is generally assumed to be the Madonna lily. (External Link)Further Information
Get more info on 'Lilium'.
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