Lilium


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.
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 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.

Taxonomy

Taxonomical division in sections follows the classical division of Comber, species acceptance follows the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, the taxonomy of section Pseudolirium is from the Flora of North America, the taxonomy of Section Liriotypus is given in consideration of Resetnik et al. 2007, the taxonomy of Chinese species follows the Flora of China 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.
PictureSectionSub SectionBotanical namecommon name
MartagonLilium distichum
MartagonLilium hansonii
MartagonLilium martagonMartagon or Turk's cap lily
MartagonLilium medeoloides
MartagonLilium tsingtauense
Pseudolirium2aLilium bolanderiBolander's Lily
Pseudolirium2aLilium puberulum
Pseudolirium2aLilium kelloggii
Pseudolirium2aLilium rubescens
Pseudolirium2aLilium washingtonianumWashington Lily, Shasta Lily, or Mt. Hood Lily
Pseudolirium2bLilium kelleyanum
Pseudolirium2bLilium maritimum
Pseudolirium2bLilium occidentale
Pseudolirium2bLilium pardalinumPanther or Leopard lily
Pseudolirium2bLilium parryi
Pseudolirium2bLilium parvumSierra tiger lily or Alpine lily
Pseudolirium2cLilium canadenseCanada Lily or Meadow Lily
Pseudolirium2cLilium grayi
Pseudolirium2cLilium iridollae
Pseudolirium2cLilium michiganenseMichigan Lily
Pseudolirium2cLilium michauxiiCarolina Lily
Pseudolirium2cLilium superbumSwamp lily or American tiger lily
Pseudolirium2cLilium pyrophilumSandhills Lily
Pseudolirium2dLilium catesbaei
Pseudolirium2dLilium philadelphicumWood lily, Philadelphia lily or prairie lily
Liriotypus3aLilium candidumMadonna lily
Liriotypus3bLilium albanicum
Liriotypus3bLilium bosniacum
Liriotypus3bLilium chalcedonicum
Liriotypus3bLilium carniolicum
Liriotypus3bLilium ciliatum
Liriotypus3bLilium heldreichii
Liriotypus3bLilium jankae
Liriotypus3bLilium pomponiumTurban lily
Liriotypus3bLilium ponticum
Liriotypus3bLilium pyrenaicum
Liriotypus3cLilium akkusianum
Liriotypus3cLilium kesselringianum
Liriotypus3cLilium monadelphum
Liriotypus3cLilium rhodopeum
Liriotypus3cLilium szovitsianumPolish Lily
Liriotypus3cLilium polyphyllum
Liriotypus3cLilium ledebourii
Liriotypus3dLilium bulbiferumOrange Lily or Fire Lily
Archelirion4aLilium speciosumJapanese lily
Archelirion4bLilium auratumGolden rayed lily of Japan, or Goldband lily
Archelirion4cLilium alexandrae
Archelirion4cLilium japonicum
Archelirion4cLilium nobilissimum
Archelirion4dLilium brownii
Archelirion4dLilium rubellum
Archelirion4dLilium platyphyllum
Sinomartagon5aLilium davidii
Sinomartagon5aLilium duchartrei
Sinomartagon5aLilium henryiTiger Lily or Henry's lily
Sinomartagon5aLilium lancifoliumTiger Lily
Sinomartagon5aLilium lankongense
Sinomartagon5aLilium leichtlinii
Sinomartagon5aLilium papilliferum
Sinomartagon5aLilium rosthornii
Sinomartagon5bLilium amabile
Sinomartagon5bLilium callosum
Sinomartagon5bLilium cernuum
Sinomartagon5bLilium concolorMorning Star Lily
Sinomartagon5bLilium fargesii
Sinomartagon5bLilium pumilumCoral Lily, Low Lily, or Siberian Lily
Sinomartagon5bLilium xanthellum
Sinomartagon5cLilium amoenum
Sinomartagon5cLilium arboricola
Sinomartagon5cLilium bakerianum
Sinomartagon5cLilium euxanthum
Sinomartagon5cLilium henrici
Sinomartagon5cLilium lophophorum
Sinomartagon5cLilium mackliniaeSiroi Lily
Sinomartagon5cLilium majoense
Sinomartagon5cLilium nanum
Sinomartagon5cLilium nepalense
Sinomartagon5cLilium oxypetalum
Sinomartagon5cLilium paradoxum
Sinomartagon5cLilium poilanei
Sinomartagon5cLilium primulinum
Sinomartagon5cLilium sempervivoideum
Sinomartagon5cLilium sherriffiae
Sinomartagon5cLilium souliei
Sinomartagon5cLilium stewartianum
Sinomartagon5cLilium taliense
Sinomartagon5cLilium 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
Leucolirion6aLilium leucanthum
Leucolirion6aLilium regale
Leucolirion6aLilium sargentiae
Leucolirion6aLilium sulphureum
Leucolirion6aLilium wenshanense
Leucolirion6bLilium anhuiense
Leucolirion6bLilium formosanum
Leucolirion6bLilium longiflorumEaster Lily
Leucolirion6bLilium neilgherrense
Leucolirion6bLilium philippinenseBenguet lily
Leucolirion6bLilium wallichianum
Leucolirion6bLilium zairii
Leucolirion6bLilium puerense
DaurolirionLilium dauricum
DaurolirionLilium maculatum
DaurolirionLilium pensylvanicum
Lilium eupetes
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.