Lilium candidum /ˈlɪliːəm/
Common name: Madonna lily · white lily
Lilium candidum is a bulbous perennial in the lily family, native to the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean. It produces fragrant, pure white trumpet-shaped flowers on stems up to about 1.8 m tall, typically blooming in early summer. One of the oldest cultivated ornamentals, it has been grown for thousands of years for its beauty, fragrance, and historical use in medicine and religious symbolism.
Care summary
Sun
Full sun to light shade
Water
Moderate; keep moist in growth, drier after flowering
Soil
Well-drained, fertile; tolerates alkaline soils
Hardiness
Zones 5–9
Mature height
About 90–180 cm (3–6 ft)
Pet safe
No — highly toxic to cats
Difficulty
Moderate
Propagation
Propagate by dividing offsets from the parent bulb or by scaling: pull a few healthy outer scales from the bulb in autumn, press them into moist sandy compost, and pot up the small bulbs that form after a year. Madonna lily resents disturbance and is planted shallowly, so transplant in late summer and only when overcrowded.
Fun facts
- It has been cultivated for at least 3,000 years and appears in Minoan frescoes from Crete.
- The Madonna lily is a traditional symbol of purity and is associated with the Virgin Mary in Christian art.
- Unlike most lilies, it forms a rosette of leaves over winter and should be planted shallowly, with the bulb near the soil surface.
- Its bulbs and flowers were used in folk medicine and perfumery, notably in a salve called "oil of lilies."