Kingdom Plantae Clade Monocots Family Liliaceae Scientific name Lilium lancifolium Higher classification Lily | Clade Angiosperms Order Liliales Genus Lilium Rank Species | |
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Similar Lily, Lilium bulbiferum, Easter lily, Lilium martagon, Lilium auratum | ||
Lilium lancifolium
Lilium lancifolium (syn. L. tigrinum) is an Asian species of lily, native to China, Japan, Korea, and the Russian Far East. It is widely planted as an ornamental because of its showy orange-and-black flowers, and has become naturalized in numerous scattered locations in eastern North America (particularly in New England).
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It is one of several species of lily to which the common name tiger lily is applied, and some regard this the correct species to which the name should be applied. Botanists for many years considered L. tigrinum the correct scientific name until it was determined that older name L. lancifolium refers to the same species. Under the rules of international botanical nomenclature, the older name takes precedence.
Growth
Like other true lilies, the flowers are borne on an erect stem 80–200 centimetres (31–79 in) tall, clothed with the more or less linear leaves 6–10 centimetres (2.4–3.9 in) long and 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) broad. It is one of a very small number of species that produce aerial bulblets, known as bulbils, in the leaf axils along the stem. These can be used to propagate the plant. Flowers on the plant last for a short period of time before they wither and are replaced by newer flowers.
Cultivation and uses
It is cultivated in Asia for its edible bulbs. The cultivar 'Splendens' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
