''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 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

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, and the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

. 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. Lilium tigrinum 005

Description

Like other true lilies, the

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

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

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

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

bulb In botany, a bulb is a short underground 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 duri ...

lets, known as

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

Lilium ''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of Herbaceous plant, 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 ...

'' 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.

Extrafloral nectaries Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists, ...

on the species were first noted by Zimmerman 1932.

Taxonomy

Varieties

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

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 in 2007.

Uses

It is cultivated and wild foraged in Asia for its edible

s. The

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

'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 ...

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

. 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 with extrafloral nectaries Plants described in 1794