''Lilium longiflorum'', often called the Easter lily, is a species of plant endemic to both Taiwan and

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

(Japan). '' Lilium formosanum'', a closely related species from Taiwan, has been treated as a variety of Easter lily in the past. It is a stem rooting lily, growing up to high. It bears a number of trumpet-shaped, white, fragrant, and outward-facing flowers. This species, along with most other true lilies, are highly toxic to cats.

Features

Plants typically grow from about to tall. They have long oval leaves and the vein enters the horizontal direction. From April to June, the plant's flowering season, it produces pure white flowers on top of the stem. The stem has a cylindrical shape, with a diameter of about .

Cultivation

A variety of it, ''L. longiflorum'' var. ''eximium'', native to the

, is taller and more vigorous. It is extensively cultivated for

cut flowers Cut flowers are flowers and flower buds (often with some Plant stem, stem and leaf) that have been cut from the plant bearing it. It is removed from the plant for decorative use. Cut greens are leaves with or without stems added to the cut flow ...

. It has irregular blooming periods in nature, and this is exploited in cultivation, allowing it to be forced for flowering at particular periods, such as

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

. However, it can be induced to flower over a much wider period. This variety is sometimes called the ''Bermuda lily'' because it has been much cultivated in

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

Use in Christian symbolism

''Lilium longiflorum'' is known as the Easter lily because in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, it is a

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

of the

resurrection of Christ The resurrection of Jesus () is Christian belief that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion, starting—or restoring—his exalted life as Christ and Lord. According to the New Testament writing, Jesus w ...

, which is celebrated during Eastertide. The "lily has always been highly regarded in the Church", as

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

referenced the flower. Furthermore, "after Jesus' death and resurrection, some of these beautiful flowers were found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus went to pray the night before His

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

. Legend has it that these flowers sprung up where drops of Jesus' sweat fell as he prayed". In many Christian churches, the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

is adorned with Easter lilies throughout the Paschal season.

History

In 1903, the USDA's Agricultural Research Services (ARS) started to distribute disease-free plant materials and seeds. In Bermuda, from the 1890s to the early 1900s, there was from over some 200 fields a thriving export trade of lily bulbs by sea to New York. A disease then started affecting the lilies: a virus was identified by Lawrence Ogilvie, the Bermuda Government's first plant pathologist, serving from 1923 to 1928. In 1924 Lawrence Ogilvie saved the industry by identifying the problem to be not aphid damage as previously thought, and instituting controls in the fields and packing houses. There was a marked improvement in exporting 23 cases of lily bulbs in 1918 to 6043 cases in 1927 from the then 204 lily fields. With the disease eliminated by him, he saved the economy of Bermuda (lilies and early vegetables sent by ship to New York were then economically much more important for Bermuda than hotels and financial services are now). In 1929, USDA's Agricultural Research Services started a breeding program, and released one of the first dwarf cultivars for potted-plant production. Prior to USDA's effort, lily bulbs were mostly

import An importer is the receiving country in an export from the sending country. Importation and exportation are the defining financial transactions of international trade. Import is part of the International Trade which involves buying and receivin ...

ed from Japan until the 1940s. The supply of bulbs was suddenly cut off after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

and Easter lilies became extremely valuable in the United States. Currently, nearly all Easter lily bulbs used in North America are grown on coastal bottom lands in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, particularly in the town of Smith River, California.

Chemistry

The Easter lily is a rich source of

steroid A steroid is an organic compound with four fused compound, fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes t ...

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

s. It also contains bitter principles such as 3,6′-diferuloylsucrose.

Toxicity

''L. longiflorum'' is toxic to cats. The true mechanism of toxicity is undetermined, but it involves damage to the renal tubular epithelium (composing the substance of the kidney and secreting, collecting, and conducting urine), which can cause acute kidney injury. Veterinary help should be sought, as a matter of urgency, for any cat that is suspected of eating any part of the lily – including licking pollen that may have brushed onto its coat.

References

External links

*
www.the-genus-lilium: ''Lilium longiflorum''''Lilium longiflorum'' in Flora of China
{{Taxonbar, from=Q311206 longiflorum Flora of Japan Flora of the Ryukyu Islands Garden plants of Asia Easter traditions Taxa named by Carl Peter Thunberg