''Lilium lancifolium'' (syn. ''L. tigrinum'') is an Asian species of

lily ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...

, native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

, and the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admin ...

. It is widely planted as an ornamental because of its showy orange-and-black flowers, and sporadically occurs as a garden escapee in North America, particularly the eastern United States including New England, and has made incursions into some southern states such as Georgia. It has the English name tiger lily, but that name has been applied to other species as well.

Description

Like other true lilies, the

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

s are borne on upright stems that are tall and bear lanceolate

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

long and broad. ''L. lancifolium'' produces aerial

bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs dur ...

lets, known as

ils, in the leaf axils. These bulbils are uncommon in ''

Lilium ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...

'' species and they produce new plants that are clones of the original plant. The flowers are odorless. Each lasts a few days and if pollinated produce capsules with many thin seeds.

Taxonomy

Varieties

Lilium lancifolium 'Flore Pleno' (Double Tiger Lily)

The names of names considered as varieties at some time are: The ''Lilium tigrinum flore pleno'', the double-flowered variety, had been exported out of Japan by William Bull since

1869 Events January–March * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional Soccer, football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 & ...

Names

Scientific names

Botanists for many years considered ''L. tigrinum'' (after Ker Gawler) the correct scientific name until it was determined that older name ''L. lancifolium'' (after Thunberg) refers to the same species, and the latter became the accepted name.

Vernacular names

Its common name is tiger lily. Although this name is ambiguous across several species, it is correctly applied to this species alone.

Cat toxicity

A case study of the successful treatment of a cat that ingested this particular species was published 2007.

Uses

It is cultivated and wild foraged in Asia for its edible

s. The

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

'Splendens' has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. In Taiwan, both the flower and bulbs are used as food, as are the other related species: ''L. brownii'' var. ''viridulum'', ''L. pumilum'' and '' L. candidum''.

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q266317 lancifolium Flora of China Flora of Eastern Asia Flora of the Russian Far East Medicinal plants Root vegetables Plants described in 1794